Ground
by Teagie227
Summary: The Fire Nation never ceased to be full of surprises. Not even for Bato. Written for my boy Bato because he deserves more love. BatoxOC. Rated M for language and future explicit content. Partner piece to Tyrants.
1. chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, Okay, Okay. I've read over it several times so I think it's finally ready. Forvgive me, I've been out of the fanfiction game for anlong time but wanted to write a cheesy crappy romance to brush off the cobwebs. I started with some dark Ozai-centric shit but I promise this WILL BE light hearted and it IS about Bato. Though, I may end up doing a spinoff fic exploring the super creepy and probably incredibly unhealthy power dynamic i just wrote between a 47 year old man and a 19 year old woman if anyone is interested in Rakia's story. Tried to make it as possibly canon as i could but it IS fanfiction so who REALLY cares? :D Enjoy!**

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Prince Zuko breathed in the salt air as he stood on the dock of Harbor City, unsure of what to expect of the ship sailing slowly into Fire Nation waters. From his experiences this past year, very little suprised him but he was certainly taken aback when he visited Azula in her padded cell to hear about how "our step mother is going to be so suprised". The Gaang, their interest peaked when Zuko explained where he was going and why, had also followed and waited now, beside him, with baited breath to see what woman in her right mind would marry a man such as (ex) Firelord Ozai. Zuko, also, was intrigued, how could he have not known? After staying so long in his fathers house even if he hadnt seen her surely someone would have mentioned something. All observed as the fleet ship docked and the steel gangway clinked loudly on the concrete port. A flurry of guards hustled off the ship as a deep red and orange clad figure walked slowly down the ramp, footsteps making a dull thud below her. She turned the corner and was rendered speechless. Her mouth agape, her suprise was apperent to be met not by her husband or any court citizens, but a group of strange children from foreign lands.

Firelord Ozai's second wife was a very pretty but very young looking woman, with long, thick, wavy black hair and skin as dark as night. Her coffee colored eyes looked up from the ground and her brow furrowed.

"What's going on? Where's Ozai? Who are you?" she voiced her concerns, gazing fearfully about, likely looking for any sign of Zuko's father. None of her questions were answered in a timely manner.

Zuko held his hands up in a placating manner, keeping his guard up but attempting to show a non threatening stance. "My Lady, please come with me, we have a lot to talk about."

She took a step back, hands raising as well. "I'm not going anywhere with you, I don't even know who you are."

Zuko and his company eyed the young woman. She didnt appear to be a threat. Of course, the guards beside her would serve the Firelord, and they would learn soon who that truly was. Zuko didn't want to force her to come back to the Royal Plaza, but it didn't appear she was going anywhere willingly until she had some answers.

"My name is Prince Zuko, Ozai's son. Azula told me about you, so I sent for you. I just want to talk." he declared, and it was only the truth. The womans hands dropped, and her body straightened.

"I-" she began, only to drop her sentence and cock her head with a puzzled look. "Ozai doesn't have a son."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

The Council room was completely silent except for the cracking of the fire lit at the end of the room to lend some light to the otherwise dark area. Zuko sat across the table from his fathers wife, his step mother, as her hands were clasped, her mouth resting on her knuckles and she stared straight down. She didnt even breathe a word when Azula giggled from the head of the impossibly long redwood conference table. Azula was, in fact, brought, as horrible of an idea as that was. _Somebody_ who knew the whole story had to be there, and Zuko wasnt about to bring his father into this. On either side of him was his uncle and Chief Hakoda, to offer valued council, and a bit firther away, at the opposite head from Azula keeping their distance was the rest of the Gaang. He drew his attention back to the woman, Rakia, the unlucky companion of a shamed king. She had the face of a woman who had never heard the story of the man that had burned half his own son's face beyond healing. She could be acting, but her shock seemed genuine.

She didn't address Zuko, but instead turned to Azula. "Did my father know as well?"

Azula, from her position cuffed to a screwed down handle, smirked that smirk she could only have gotten from her father and nodded, laughing at Rakia.

Rakia paid no mind to it, eyes turned down to their spot on the table once more. "I wouldn't have married him... if I had known." Her eyes flicked up to Zuko, her stony expression only faltering for a moment.

"Then explain to us why you _did_ marry him." Iroh laid his hands on the table. "You have heard Zuko's story, it is time for yours."

Rakia nodded, and taking a deep breath, began, "I'm from an island in the south called Kun-Li, a big exporter of steel which, obviously your father needed a lot of. We only, within the last 25 years, came under Fire Nation Rule, and my people didnt much appreciate being occupied for our resources, them recruiting our men to die in their war, so there was a decent amount of unrest on our small little island. My father is Cheif Lu'Kaa, my mothers name is Ynga. I have two other sisters, but the eldest is already married and my next oldest sister, not the most politically savvy person in the world. So, when I turned 18 my parents came to my room the morning after my 18th birthday and asked me what I was willing to do to save our people and I said 'anything' and I meant it." she paused, looking around as if hoping that this would suffice but no one said anything.

Finally, after too much silence Hakoda prompted, "Well, go on."

"My father sent a messenger hawk to the Firelord with a 'plan to create peace between our people'. I dont know what was in the letter but it must have peaked your fathers interest, my family was invited to the capital and we were introduced. Now, Firelord Ozai is quite a lot older than me, but he was powerful, and attractive, and he had acted kind to me. Not to mention a marraige would seal the peace deal between our fathers. He asked me if I wanted to marry him, I could have said no, but I didn't, and we were married in the next three weeks. It's not like I was forced into anything," Rakia's body tensed. "I wanted to do it."

"Who would _want_ to marry that man?" Katara interjected.

"You look me right in the eye and tell me you wouldn't do the exact same thing to save your brothers and sisters!" Rakia snapped, visibly anxious, and looked at the three men right before her. "People were dying. Maybe it wasnt the best option but it was the most apperent to all involved. But, apperently, I have been decieved..."

"Oh, indeed." Zuko mused. "How did my father keep us a secret from each other and why?" He prodded, and Rakia shrugged.

"I guess he knew I wouldnt have accepted him if I had known, and I was, lets face it, a very valuable political pawn. He went so far as to send me away a month ago-"

"When I came here to stay and he became 'The Pheonix King'." Zuko interrupted.

After a very pregnant pause, Rakia began laughing hysterically very suddenly, causing everyone to draw back a bit. Coming down from her break in character she giggled, "What?!"

Zuko laughed nervously back, while Sokka got right down to business, "So what happens now?"

The mood darkened slightly once more, "Well I suppose as long as my advisors here also think you're telling the truth..." Zuko was met with a quick nod from the men at his side, "I suppose we'll let you go back to your home."

"Won't you send for my family, your highness?" Rakia pleaded, making no hesitation about the request. "I may not have any sway, what with my husband being dethroned entirely and all, but think about it. The last tie you have to peace with Kun-Li island, you just threw half in a prison cell and are detaining the other." She leaned back in her seat to size up the men before her. "Meet with my Father, pull out of Kun-Li, or put me in prison with my husband and go to another war with my people that your country can't handle... you have some choices to make, Firelord. But I'm trying to look out for you here. It's probably best for you to make some new friends..."

Zuko rested his chin on clasped hands, he understood what his father saw in her. She was every bit as vindictive as he. "Cheif Hakoda, Uncle, Aang, please stay. Guards, please escort everyone else out of the room, and take my sister back to her holding cell." He commanded, and Iroh smiled proudly, his dear nephew truly sounded like a leader at last.

Rakia rose slowly, refusing to be touched by the guards who had, up until now, protected her. She left with the others to leave Zuko and the three named men alone.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

 **That's all for now, folks. Like, comment, review, tweet at me, tell me it sucks and you hate me, whatever it is you kids do nowadays...** **I'm going to apologize for the lack of indentation. I have tried multiple times to get the document writer on my phone to do it and it just doesn't... :(**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back friendos hope you are ready for another CHAPTER**.

 **O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

Bato was going to just say, full disclosure, that it was fucking _hot_. He still hadn't gotten used to the heat of the Fire Nation, and after spending months there, he realized it was aptly named. How did people live in this and not die of heat stroke? It didnt help that the guards were leading him and his countrymen to who knows where and he, Bato, Hakodas right hand man, had no _idea_ where they were going, or what to do to stop whatever horror awaited them next. He began to sweat nervously as they were led to a gate, where a small but tough-looking older fire nation man walked down the line of Southern Water Tribe Warriors. _Keep your cool Bato, my man, everythjng will be fine._

"Now then," the guard's raspy and suprisingly loud voice addressed the men before him. "Who of you happens to outrank the rest of this merry band of misfits?" His eyes scanned the ranks of warriors, sharp like the eyes of a hawk scanning for prey.

All eyes snapped to Bato, and he shook his head and sighed, "That would be me." Whatever happened to having your brother's back? _I_ _f I die today its all on you guys._

The guard smirked, walking up to Bato and taking his cuffed hands, fumbling with the latch he said, "Well, it seems your Avatar has made quite the show of the Fire Nation Royal Family. The good news is, Prince Zuko has demanded the Warriors of the Avatars army be freed, and he'll be coronated within the week. Far be it from me to scorn the commands of the new Fire Lord..." The man was so short Bato didn't even have to raise his hands to surrender the cuffs. The restraints came free with a soft click, and it was the most triumphant click he'd ever heard. "Bato, is it?"

Bato rubbed his wrist and stepped back to avoid the neck strain of looking straight down at this tiny, tiny man, and nodded.

"Well," the guard tossed the cuffs into the dirt and motioned for his men to free the rest of the Warriors. "Its time for you to go home and get the Hell out of my country, Bato." the guard sounded angry but seemed to smile and barked at the gate keepers to open the front of the wall surrounding the prison. Crossing the massive threshold, before them they saw a Fire Nation naval ship, at the bow stood a very young man, perhaps 18, but he wore a clean cut and important-looking uniform. He was the only ship in dock and Bato had a bad feeling about this.

"You there!" the boy called from above. "You must be with me! Hop on." The young man was obviously Fire Nation, his black hair pulled tightly back with a small fringe almost covering light gold eyes, His round features surrounded a smiling face.

Bato shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand and quirked an eyebrow up at the young one. "Sorry to disappoint, but we're not going to the Fire Nation..."

The kid jumped down, at least ten feet from the ship and landed hard, with a loud thud, right in front of Bato and his men. "Oh yes you are! My names Shizan," He held out a hand with the awkward execution of a child. Bato did not take this boys awkward hand, but Shizan didnt seem to notice. "I'm captain of this here vessel, and I've been sent by Prince Zuko to take you to Caldera. Cheif Hakoda will meet you. Everything's been taken care of." he assured, wide smile never failing.

Bato didnt reply for a moment. Walking past Shizan he instead looked at the ship. Solid construction, good shape, it seemed fine.

"You are Captain of this vessel?" He asked the young man, who nodded enthusiastically. Bato nodded in return, bringing a hand up below his chin in a contemplative manner. "Aren't you a little young to be captaining a warship?" Certainly, young Water Tribe Men achieved their right of passage captaining a ship, but that sure as hell didn't mean he'd be on board with giving Sokka his own ship and weapons and men to command _anytime_ soon.

The kid cocked his head, smile all wide. "No way, Im actually old! Havent you heard all the rumors about Fire Lord Ozai's legion of child soldiers?" It seemed a ridiculous but believe claim, and for a moment, the cr9wd of Water Tribe men seemed q ti ite taken aback.

Bato rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, "Well, no I uh..."

Shizan burst out laughing. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I just graduated the Naval Academy early. Wow, are you all this gullible? This is going to be fun!" the boy chatted on as his crew lowered the gangway.

Bato rolled his eyes. partially at the kid and his lame joke, partially at himself for not picking up on it. Nonetheless, he led his men up the gangway and onto a solid metal deck. Metal, instead of wood, but Bato felt right at home.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Summer was in full swing and Kitani was reminded too roughly how oppressive the weather in Caldera was. Her sister was married in the summer, and yet somehow in just a year she had already forgotten about the heat. She turned to her brother and pulled at her collar, seperating the leather applique from her neck, letting in a bit of air and sticking out her tongue at him, rolling her eyes back, panting as if she was about to die.. Lu'kaa, the younger, smiled wide and mussed his little sister's hair. She cackled and punched him in the arm, hard. This exchange earned a stern glare from their father, who sat at the bow, facing the aft.

"You are adults, you could stand to be a bit less... childish, you know." her father barked at them.l from his spot behind the bow. He seemed so very small there and hunched over, almost as if to hide from the eyes of the gods. And rightfully so.

Kitani stretched her arms above her head, arching her back and yawning. She knew her father was on edge about facing Rakia ever since he all but sold her body to the Fire Lord, but that wasnt her of Lu'kaas fault. "But I'm bored, and this trip has taken way longer than it feasibly should have."

"What do you know about sailing, daughter?" her father said defensively.

"Oh, nothing at all." She admitted, letting her arms fall back to her sides and taking a step towards the older Lu'kaa. She narrowed her eyes at her father. "But I know you've been stalling."

"I most certainly have not!" He totally was, and now he was lying to her.

"Yes, you have." she crossed her arms. "You lied to her about Ozai, made us lie to her about Ozai, and you're terrified to face her now that she knows the truth."

Her father said nothing but looked away with a "hmph", and over the horizon Kitani could see the great spires and high walls of the Fire Nation capital.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Rakia sighed, her arms crossed next to prince Zuko as she watched a ship from her fathers small fleet proceed to the harbor. The Scorpion mounted to the head of the bow was a dead giveaway. The longer she waited, the angrier she was at her family. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that her father knew. Who else knew? Who else had lied to her?

As the ship was brought to port one of Lu'kaa's children did not wait for the gangway to open, instead leaping straight over the side and rolling to a halt on the stone below. Her head snapped to Rakia and she exclaimed, "My sister!" and sprinted directly at her. Rakia saw Kitani make her way towards her and prepared herself for the inevitable moment that her older sister lept into her arms, nearly tackling her to the ground. Rakia tensed for a moment, it seemed forever since she touched her siblings. After a moment she gave in and collapsed into Kitani's embrace when she felt another pair of arms encircle her. Her brother Lu'kaa had apperently followed Kitani's lead for she had not yet heard the gangway land.

Kitani had hardly said hello before releasing Rakia from her embrace, taking her little sister by the shoulders and looking her up and down. "Are you well? Did he hurt you?" she asked anxiously.

Rakia's expression neutralized. It was an odd question, to ask if she was okay, she had been lied to for a year and probably longer than that. She obviously wasnt asking that, she must be demanding answers of some other transgression. "If you're asking if my husband beat me the answer is no." she said curtly. "Not that our dear father or possibly any of you seem to care."

Kitani seemed hurt by the accusation. "Father told us as we were leaving the country from your wedding. I wanted to turn back, but-"

"You didn't."

Kaa'li shifted uncomfortably, avoiding Rakia's gaze. Rakia's dark eyes peered straight through her sister to rest on a very large framed, very tall man. His skin and eyes as dark as the other Kun-li islanders, his long black hair had greyed in several areas and his skin was well-marred with many scars.

Zuko stepped toward him, extending a hand toward the goliath. "You must be cheif Lu'kaa of Kun-li. I'm glad you were able to make it."

Lu'kaa's massive hand took Zuko's in a too-firm handshake. "It's all to rid you of my troublesome daughter, no inconvenience at all!" the larger man joked. He turned to look at his daughter and all eyes were suddenly on them.

"Father." Rakia addressed, her voice flattened and a hint of hostility leeching from the word.

Lu'kaa started for his daughter, arms outstretched. "Rakia, I-"

"You knew." she said and took a step back, tears welling in her eyes. "You knew what he was and you said nothing." During the tense silence Rakia had stared her father down with a look that could make a grown man cry, but Lu'kaa kept his composure.

"He _needed_ us, Rakia." Lu'kaa reasoned. "Fire Lord Ozai was far too smart a man to hurt you, he had no time for another troublesome war."

Rakia rolled her eyes. "Oh. Great. I don't care."

"Rakia, I _knew_ he wouldn't hurt you." But Lu'kaa was wrong. For even under the circumstances, Rakia had found things she liked about her husband and even hoped that one day she'd live him. But no more, she could no longer dicern which parts of her husband were real and which parts alwere an elaborate lie.

Rakia's face screwed up into a grimace and she sobbed, "But he _did._ And so did _you."_ her fists clenched tight and she looked up at her father, "you hurt me by lying to me. Now, I've never seen my husband, I've seen a mask. You knew what was behind the mask and you let me marry him anyway."

Lu'kaa reached out again for his daughter but she jerked away once more. After a short silence, she addressed her step son. "What do you think, Zuko? Would he hurt someone who was close to him?"

Zuko, not really appreciating being left in such a heavy and uncomfortable situation, let his gaze flit to the horizon, to a familiar sight. Shizan's vessel. Seeing an easy out and awkwardly trying to get out of the delicate family matter, Prince Zuko exclaimed, "Please excuse me, it looks like the Warriors from the South have arrived."

 **O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **Well, there you have it, enter our mains snd a little extra angsty shit to set up for a different project I'm working on. I am going to go ahead write up Rakia's story as well and I have a another brainchild going as well. You shall all seeeeee. As always, follow, fave, review, let me know what ya'll think. See you around.**


	3. Chapter 3

The heavy steel of Shizan's vessel screeched against the concrete dock, as the young man's ship rode in on a particularly large wave, a little further down from where the Kun'li ship had come into port. Even Bato, in all his years at sea, had to hang his head over the edge as some servants of the palace got the monstrosity tied down. Righting himself with the hand of his brother in arms, he stood to descend the gangway with the rest of his brethren, and what little belongings he still had. Quite the welcome wagon had been rolled out for them. Cheif Hakoda, Katara, Sokka, Aang, the soon-to-be Firelord himself and even General Iroh had all come out to recieve them. Hakoda greeted all the warriors who tripped off the boat, but as soon as he spotted Bato stumbling off the uneasy ship, his sights were set and no one would hope to stop him from pulling Bato into his embrace. Bato wrapped an arm around the shorter man, his brother in all rights but blood and and smiled wearily.

"It's never been better to see you, my old friend." Hakoda admitted, sounding quite relieved, and a bit concerned. "Are you well?"

Bato sighed. "I am, just tired, that is all. Prison does that to you, you know." he scoffed.

Hakoda brightened, glad to hear something resembling a joke. "I know it well!" Just as he was ready to say something else, the two men were interrupted by two younger members of the Southern Water Tribe bolting between them in a flash of blue and white, nearly toppling the tall man with their new found force. Bato laughed a real laugh this time.

"Sokka, Katara, its wonderful to see you." Bato sounded off with delight as he hugged the teens tightly. "Have you both grown again in just the few months weve been seperated. Slow down a little will you?" he chuckled, amused at the two, when another small form caught his eye.

Avatar Aang was slowly making his way through the reunion that whirled around him to Bato. He no longer seemed like the child he knew. He carried himself higher, and seemed somber, and more mature in some ways. He was no longer a child, but a young man, and Bato wondered what had brought such a change.

"Avater Aang." Bato greeted formally, extending a hand, allowing Sokka and Katara to release him. Aang took his hand and smiled.

"It's great to see you, Bato, and in such good shape."

Bato laughed bitterly. "About that." a long pause seemed to follow, and it was as if the five of them were trapped in a bubble that had all the energy sucked out of it. It had much the same feeling as a group remembering a shared fallen friend. "Well, Aang, I hate to ask under such happy circumstances, but did you-"

"No." Aang cut him off. And that seemed to be all the explanation Aang was intent on giving.

A light hearted Tenor snapped the five out of their funk, and Bato turned to see Prince Zuko coming towards them as he explained, "Ive already told Chief Hakoda and the others, but any Warriors that fought to oppose my father's war are invited to ststay in the Fire Nation for a few weeks, to enjoy my coronation and any other festivities that occur as an effect of it or as an effect of the war's end." the young man beamed at his friends, as Bato noticed the older man behind him, who had also shown up as a welcoming gesture to the Water Tribe, General Iroh, glowed with pride at his young nephew.

"Well, after all this, I could certainly use some festivities. And a drink. And a bath. And clothes that don't smell like prison." Bato mused.

Zuko laughed, but his smile did not reach his eyes, it seemed something was on his mind. Nonetheless, he responded. "And you shall have that, all of you. Come." he beckoned for the group to follow.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Lu'kaa, the elder and younger, accepted Zuko's gracious offer to stay at the palace for the Coronation Day, and took the escort afforded them. Kitani stayed behind, with Rakia, their feet dangling off the high rise dock. This was a dock meant for merchant ships, war vessels, their feet didnt even come close to reaching the water beneath, as they looked across the bay, silent. The waves washed up and lapped at the concrete below, a rythmic beating of white foam and shallow brown water. The two sisters breathed in time with the sea, feeling the cooling wind move in from the sea. Kitani inhaled the salt air, and turned to her sister.

"I'm sorry all this has happened to you, Rikki." Kitani placated over the soft _whoosh_ of the water. The familiar nickname reached Rakia's ears pleasantly, and for a second she was back on Kun'li, before her 18th birthday and the mess that followed.

The younger woman sighed deeply, she looked tired, as if all life in her had left when the truth swept in and carried her husband away. "I'm sorry I got angry with you, Kitani. I'm not mad at you, truly."

"Who are you angry at?" Kitani inquired, leaning her head on her little sisters shoulder.

Rikki paused for a very long time. After thinking on it a moment, she said, "Father... and Ozai... and even, the smallest part of me, the Avatar." she struggled to let it out finally, to address where all her hostility was going.

Kitani laughed, shaking her head as she righted herself. "Avatar Aang did what needed to be done, Rikki, and now, I think you know that.

Rakia laughed and looked down at the waves again, nodding, "I know."

"So, what are you going to do?" Kitani inquired, head tilted curiously to one side.

Rakia looked out to the sunny water, and in a short time just shrugged and laughed bitterly. "Go home, I guess."

"With us?" Kitani almost sounded suprised. "With Father?"

Rakia brought one hand to the brodge of her nose, as if the mere thought gave her a headache. "Things with father will be fine, in time."

Kitani nodded in agreement, and the moment was soon interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps and a call in a language Rakia had not heard in a _long_ time.

" _My ladies."_ the aged baritone adressed from behind them and the two women turned to find General Iroh, and behind him, the welcoming party for the Southern Warriors and a few new members in tow, looking quite road weary and ready for some friendly faces. Kitani lept up, all too happy to oblige, and held out a hand to her baby sister.

Smiling brightly, the elder of the two retorted. " _Well, you're certainly cut from a different cloth, aren't you? Must be from a time when the Fire Nation actually cared to learn a language instead of steam rolling over it! How old does that make you?"_

Iroh laughed comfortably and returned Kitani's mirth to Rakia's suprise. "You'll have to slow down a bit my dear, I didn't catch any of that, it's been a very long time."

"And thankfully so!" Rakia scolded, moving to clasp Iroh on the shoulder. "My sister lacks a filter, and her jokes and insults are indiscernable from each other."

"Well," Kitani feigned offense. "Forgive me for not being _royally trained_ in such things."

Rakia turned her head to cock an eyebrow at her dear sister who, rather sophomorically, stuck out a tongue in response.

Bato, who brought up the rear with his old friend, to give them time to catch up on the last few months events, leaned down to whisper, "Hakoda, who are those women?" He'd never seen people from the Fire Nation who looked like them, or spoke the way they did, and yet they were dressed somewhat like Fire Nation nobility, and younger one especially. There was something different about them.

"Those two are... a long story." Hakoda sighed, unsure of where to begin.

"Well," Bato gestured vaguely to the landscape about them as they walked. "I've got time."

Farther up the mini convoy of guards and Warriors, Zuko walked side by side with the young man who seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. And his heart seemed heavy.

"Aang? What's on your mind?" The Prince inquired.

Grey eyes met gold and after a moment Aang finally relented. "Rakia."

"I know what you mean." Zuko knew where this was going.

Aang looked down the path, now avoiding eye contact. "I cant get my mind off of it. Not that it seems below Ozai, it doesn't, it only makes me wonder, and forgive the pun, what other little fires he left for you to put out, and if we can handle them all."

Zuko sighed, his shoulders dropping ever so slightly. "Ive been wondering. But you neednt worry about any of that. Whatever happens, I know I have a strong support system in my friends and my uncle to help me make the right decision." he stated, optimistically. "It will be much easier to find those fires, too, after my coronation when we start attending meetings and the like. Let's just hope we found the biggest fire first."

"Oh boy! Meetings!" Aang faked excitement. "That sounds... exhilarating!"

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **Thanks for reading! I appreciate you all, and just to let ya'll know, I am rolling out Rakia's story TODAY the story is titled Tyrants. Much love!**


	4. Chapter 4

As Hakoda finished his tale, Bato kept shaking his head. The dirt road crunched beneath their feet as the warrior tried to make sense of it all.

"So, whats Zuko plan on doing with her, then?" Bato inquired. As Hakoda began to speak, another voice interrupted the two men's conversation. Today was not Hakoda's day for finishing sentences.

"Let her go home. That's what he said hed do or, he'd better. I won't let anything else happen to her." The taller, older sister had somehow snuck into their interchange, and was walking backwards, gazing quizically at the two men. "What interest is it of yours, anyway?"

She didn't seem offended, nor angry, just suprised that two Watertribesmen would find anything of the sort worthy of mention. Hakoda held his hands up in a ppacating manner, "My Commander here was simply curious where you and your sister came from." he explained.

The woman tilted her head the other directiondirection and smiled wildly at them. She seemed harmless, but had a cunning look to her dark brown eyes. Bato nodded in agreement to Hakoda. "It's true, never have I seen anyone who looked... quite like you two." Bato commented.

The woman smirked and turned to walk facing the _right_ direction, her smaller frame easily fitting into the space the men left between them. "I'm going to take that as a compliment. I, for one, have never seen bbn people with blue eyes. It' quite striking." She turned to Bato's brother-in-arms, "If our appearance so mesmerizes you, I could take you both to Kun'li some time. There's an entire island of us." She winked at the shorter man. "You are Chief Hakoda, no?" she offered her right hand and Hakoda shook it, briefly, awkwardly given they walked shoulder to shoulder, and bowed his head slightly toward the woman.

"I am. And it's good to meet you..."

"Daranaia Kitani, of Kun'li." the woman replied cheerfully, clasping them both on the shoulder, starining a bit to reach Bato. "And that would make you-" Her right hand let go of Hakoda to motion towards him.

"Bato." he answered curtly.

"Ah. Ba-to." She repeated. "Well, it's been a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Kitani quipped cheerfully. Bato rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, opening his skin to a welcome, cooling breeze in the oppresive heat.

" _Daranaia._ " he repeated. "I don't believe I'm familiar with the nomenclature."

Kitani smiled up at the man who towered over her. "Few are, these days. Until a year ago when Rikki got married, Kun'li tried it damnest to stay out of the affairs of the world. The Fire Nation ruled us, and took as many of our resources as they could get away with, but that was about the extent of it. _Daranaia_ is a word used to denote that I am the daughter of a Chief, Lu'kaa."

Bato nodded his head slightly. He wanted to ask more questions, but didn't particularly feel like learning a whole new culture today. He'd already seen more this last year than he ever had in all his 34 years.

"Well, this has been lovely," Kitani commented after a long pause, "but we are nearing the gates, I should probably attend my sister. If you'll excuse me, I'm sure I'll be seeing you around, Chief," She bowed her head lightly towards him, and he did the same. "Bato."

Kitani bowed her head once more, this time taking a barely noticeable extra second to take in the Soutern Water Tribe's first Commander. He was tall, and thin, but not skinny, more lean. His skin was dark but not quite as dark as hers, and one arm seemed marred by a more red tinge rather than tan. She recognized it as a burn mark, and wondered what the story was, she wondered how much of his body the burn covered. His face was as tall as his body and his cheekbones sharp. He almost seemed to glower at her, the intenseness of his expression becoming apparent. Hell, she'd be grumpy if she spent several months in prison and even longer in unfamiliar lands, too. Finishing her gawking, she ran back up to her sister, who walked still at the front of the group. Rakia saw right through her older sister the second she came back to her side.

"So, did you get to talk to him?" Rikki teased, her sister seemingly spaced out, She elbowed the woman lightly in the side, laughing when she started, like a frightened cat.

" _Huh? Oh, who?_ " Kitani played dumb, smiling inquisitivley at her sibling. Rakia smiled, Kitani couldn't help it. Rakia had soent too much time speaking Calderan to her husband, she somtimes forgot what it was like to carry on a conversation in Kun'lan.

" _Oh, you know who. Tall-dark-and-handsome in the back, the one you've been trying to sneak glimpses at the whole walk up here. You really are causing me undue stress, sister, running around flirting under the current circumstances._ " Rikki smiled wickedly at her elder sister, drawing the back of her hand across her brow, pretending to look faint.

" _Oh, pfft._ " Kitani dismissed, waving her hands in a shooing motion. " _Circumstances? There's a new Fire Lord, a coronation soon, a party to follow, I'm sure, and you're a free woman now. Find some positivity!"_ The older of the two took Rikki by the shoulders and shook her vigorously by the shoulders, finally getting a laugh out of the girl. As they settled down, Kitani looked more seriously at Rakia.

" _It's good to see you laugh again, Rikki."_ Kitani mused, to which Rikki only smiled.

Further down the line, a confused Bato and amused Hakoda walked again, alone. Who comes up, buts into a conversation, touches strangers and then runs away like its no big deal?

"Bato, I think you were being... _undressed."_ Hakoda chuckled.

Bato reeled back, brow furrowed, looking at his friends smiling face, he laughed for the first time in a while. "What?"

"Well, you saw the way that young woman looked at you." Hakoda teased, amused at Bato's incredulity.

Bato shook his head, nowhere near as pleased by Hakoda as Hakoda was with himself. "I'm sure she was looking at you, you old dog."

"Mhm, sure she was." Hakoda mocked, which earned little more than an eye roll from his companion.

The hodge podge group arrived at the inner city of Caldera around late afternoon. Some of the other warriors were given rooms at an inn nearby, but Hakoda and Bato each were shown to a room of their own in the palace as honored guests. As Bato lowered himself onto one of the many cushions in the corner of the room he sighed deeply with relief. His body seemed almost to revolt against sitting on a real seat and not just the unpadded ground or surface of a boat deck. He let his head reast against the wall with a soft _thud_. Closing his eyes, he let the weariness wash away. The longer he sat on this too-comfortable seat in this too hospitable room, the more the realization came over him that it was all _over_. For now, at least. What was he going to do with himself now? Sit in his tent back home and whittle turtleducks? Pushing the thought from his mind, he forced himself to get up, limbs screaming at him to take the comfort where he could get it. Taking a slow lap around the room, he observed everything his tiny home would offer him for the next few days.

There was, in addition to the cushoins on the floor, an actual chair, a bathing chamber with a decent sized tub, a dresser, and atop it sat a vase and a few cups. Curiosity peaked, Bato took the vase and sniffed at it. _It's sake, alright._ He couldn't help but smirk. Perhaps he could get used to this place after all. Returning to the bathing chamber, he pumped the handle on the pipe inside the door, subsequently dispensing warm water into the bucket below. Pouring the bucket into the clawfoot installation in the center of the room, he reminded himself to ask someone later how that even _worked._ As he removed the last of his clothing, he was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Fuck!" He cursed to himself, picking up his clot huh ing only to find them soaked by a few wayward splashes. He looked around frantically for something to cover himself with. Uttering his last "Shit", he caught a glimpse of a long, but thin piece of fabric perched atop an intricately carved shelf. Grabbing it with haste, he wrapped it quickly around his waist, it barely fully corvered his hips, a slit of the towel leaving very little to the imagination on his left leg. Paying it no mind, he rushed to the door as quickly as his tired body could carry him.

As he swung the mahogany door out of the way he saw no one, and heard only a gasp come from the floor. Looking down to the source, the gasp turned out to be that of a servant girl, who stood timidly before the door. The girl couldn't have been more than 16. She blushed furiously, and averted her eyes as Bato realized with great embarrassment that he was by all means completely naked. There he was, some strange Water Tribe brute who had fought and killed soldiers from her country, exposing himself to the palace staff.

"Sorry, uh..." he mumbled, taking a step back behind the door and curving his body around it. "Let me just-" he situated himself so only his arm and face could be shown. "There." he motioned for the girl to let him know if this was acceptable to her, and she laughed a bit. He was going to take that as a yes.

"Prince Zuko said the Warriors from the south might be too tired to come to dinner, he's sending it up to them all. You... _are_ one of them, yes?" she inquired, lifting up a covered tray, whatever was inside smelled wonderful. He took it from her, feeling the warmth on his palm.

"Yes, thank you very much." he smiled at the girl, and she nodded professionally as she took her leave and he shut the door softly behind her.

He opened up the tray to reveal some sort of meat stew, and a bowl of rice on the side. It smelled much better than anything he'd had in prison, and the Water Tribe Warrior wolfed down the meal in no time. Setting it aside, he went back the the bathing room and ran the rest of the water. He didn't fit at all, but submerged as much of his body as he could in the water, sighing as the soreness withered away from him. He couldn't imagine how some of the inmates had managed to stay in prison for _years_ without going completly mad. The idea eluded him.

The warmth that surrounded him beckoned him to sleep, he had no clue how long he stayed there, soaking in the heat and overall relishing in the unfamiliar feeling of being _clean,_ but it was no short amount of time.He forced himself to stay awake just long enough to drain the water, and wrapped himself fully in something fluffy and large he found in the drawer. It seemed like any other towel, but much more suitable to enveloping his form. He wondered, _Where was this when that poor girl was up here? Would have saved us both undue embarrassment._ He made his way across the warm room, it seemed someone had come in while he was in the other room and started a fire in the sitting area. On the side table near the door, he noticed some clean clothes, folded neatly, with a note attached.

 _We weren't sure of the size, so we guessed. Let someone know if they don't fit. Please leave your clothes outside your door to be washed. Thank you._

 _-R_

Bato lay the note aside, wondering who R was, perhaps a servant, or the recently usurped Fire Lady. He inspected the clothes, a simple blue linen T-tunic, and some black breeches. He frowned slightly, the blue wasn't exactly the right color for his Tribe, but he shrugged and assumed blue was likely a hard color to come by around here. Dressing and kicking his clothes outside the door, the clothes were a bit large. He imagined the servant girl who'd brought him dinner returning to the Royal seamstress describing some giant thing. He laughed a bit to himself, at the end ofvthe day, the clothes would work.

He brought himself over to the bed, sitting on it, he was taken aback by its comfort. No sooner than his head hit the soft surface, Bato was out like someone had blown out a candle.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Zuko stood outside the curtain to the Royal Seamstress' office. With Aang at his side, he pushed the offending burgundy cloth aside, which was noticeably lighter than last he was here. Of course, the last time he was here he was thirteen and about a foot shorter. He smiled at Aang and beckoned him inside, holding the curtain open while the Avatar chirped his thanks. As Zuko followed his once-adversary, he was very ready to see the old royal seamstress, a kind and gentle old woman, he remembered her experienced seamwork, and sometimes she seemed the only person who'd shown him any kindness. But, as he crossed the threshold he was greeted not by the welcoming, wizened face of the sweet old Lina, but instead accosted by a short, wide-hipped young woman, flitting about like some wild thing. No sooner did she see him did she exclaim,

"Oh, great! Another Royal come to _ruin my day!_ " Her words were harsh and unwelcoming, but she smiled wildly and cocked her head. "What can I do for you, _your highness_?!"

Zuko looked at Aang, who seemed just as confused as he, and the Prince opened his mouth to ask just who the hell she thought she was talking to, before he was interrupted by yet another voice.

"Don't listen to her." An older gentleman in the corner of the room called as he sat at a calligraphers desk, painting away at a scroll. He recognized the man as Liu, the head Royal Scribe and Illuminator. "She's still barking mad about your father burning the robe she made him for the Pheonix King... debacle." Liu finished after finally finding the right word, barely looking up from his current project.

"I stayed awake for _72 hours straight_ finishing that garment." the young woman pointed wildly at Liu. "It had a _dragon scale satin inlay._ Do you know how much of that is left in the world? None! Because it is all ash, and it's scattered about the Earth Kingdom. So forgive me, Prince Zuko, but I am a _little_ irritated." The woman bowed with such grandiosity that it _had_ to be sarcastic.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, stifling a laugh. It shouldn't be funny, yet another little fire his father had left for him to put out. He was also laughing at how things just seemed to carry on, even when the Firelord they all knew had been thrown in prison. The palace was like a living organism, a cat that lost its whiskers. It would take some getting used to, but the unit as a whole continued on living. Raising his hands at the young woman, he motioned to Aang at his side.

"I only came here to get my formal robes let out a little. I noticed they were a bit short last I wore them." Zuko mustered up all the royal attitude he could, changing his tome to one that commanded a bit more respect. "This is the Avatar, and I'd like you to make something presentable for him as well for my coronation."

The girl folded her hands in front of her face, staring, it seemed, directly at the middle of Zuko's torso. After what seemed like an eternity, she bowed low and said, "No."

Zuko started, taken aback, "I beg your pardon?!"

"No, I'm not altering your current robes." Her gold eyes flicked up to meet his as she straightened. "You're going to be the Firelord. You are a man, and you need a man's robes. And you, Avatar," she pointed at Aang, "I will have my assistant take your measurements. Can I borrow an extra pair of your clothing to get an idea of what sort of garment you'll need?"

The two young men, still processing what was being said, nodded. This woman spoke fast, almost as if she'd drank too much tea, and seemed changable, but she was willing to help, so Zuko assumed he'd let her keep her job.

"I will make you clothes, if you promise not to turn them into a pile of ash."

Zuko smirked. "Deal."

"Wonderful! Rineta!" The young woman called as an even younger girl rushed into the office.

"Yes mistress?" the girl squeaked.

"Please take Avatar Aang to the other room and grab his measurements. Prince Zuko," she turned to the young man again, speaking over a muffled 'Yes ma'am' from her young assistant. "If you'll come with me." She walked past the Prince and beckoned for him to follow. As he watched her swing the doors open to a wide mahogany closet and peruse its contents, Zuko piped up,

"So, where is Lina?" he asked, almost afraid to do so. He should have stopped by the last time he was home, to get this clothing situation sorted, but hadn't had the time. In all that time nobody had bother to tell him the old clothier was... gone.

The woman turned to him, seeing the worried expression on his face. "Lina was _my_ mistress. Your father let her retire." She noticed an audible sigh of relief from the young Prince, and she continued, "She lives on Ember Island with her daughter, who's a costume designer and her son in law is assistant director for the Players. She spends her days with her brand new grandson. Her eyesight and nimble fingers were starting to go, so your father thanked her and sent her away. Said after 60 years of service to the crown, she deserved it." Zuko raised his eyebrows. _60_ _years_. "Anyway," she interrupted herself, dragging out mounds of maroon cloth and laying it out on a nearby table. "These we His Royal Majesty Sozin's, these are His Royal Majesty Azulon's, and these," She plopped her final load of red and gold onto the table and straightened it out to lay just like the others. "These were your fathers."

Zuko looked at the sea of blood-red and ran his fingers along the thick shoulder pads and silk fabric. He noticed the subtle differences of design, noted the not-so-subtle differences in character. Firelord Sozin's had the most fiery motifs in cut on the trim. His fathers had the most gold trim by far, just as each Firelord became less interested in the Fire Nation and more obsessed with himself, so did the robes become more elaborate, more detail-oriented.

A voice that had now become familiar snapped the Prince out of his reverie.

"I can alter any of these to fit you, or take certain elements from each to mix and match, or make something entirely new. You're the boss here." Zuko nodded silently as he rolled Firelord Azulons collar in his fingers.

"I'm going to grab some cloth swatches for you," the seamstress dismissed herself. "Let me know what you'd like."

"Wait," Zuko called and she halted, turning back to him. "What was your name?"

The young woman shot him a smile, she'd seemed to calm down a bit since he and Aang stepped in. "Kei, your highness." She nodded to him and slipped out of the room, leaving Zuko with the calligrapher that sat silently, so focused on his work Zuko wondered if he'd even noticed the young Prince was still here.

 _Life goes on, even with the greatest of changes._ He thought to himself.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Kitani dangled her feet over the waters edge, nudging a turtle duckling with her toe as she did. The duckling pecked at her, too small to do anything, and she giggled at the baby as it circled in the water. Recognizing her mirth, the little duck quacked happily and started chasing her foot around the water. Amused, she humored the little thing, swinging her leg back and forth until a mother duck clicked loudly, calling her little son back over to her, scolding him for straying so far away. His little head hung low as he swam quickly back to his mother. Kitani pursed her lips at the poor babe.

"You seem to be having fun." Commented a voice from behind. Quickly, she tucked her bare feet under her to sit cross-legged at the pond side. Blushing, she turned to see who it was that spoke to her. Squinting her eyes she saw a familiar facade and full Fire nation garb eclipse the sun.

Moving to stand, she exclaimed, "My Prince!" but she was soon halted by a palm raised before her. The young man turned to face the pond, also observing the small creatures on the other side of the pool. "Are you adjusting well, your highness?" Kitani's eyes flicked up to the soon-to-be Firelord.

"I am, yes. Thank you for your concern." He smiled down at the woman. "I only just finished at the seamstress, which was... an experience."

Kitani exhaled, half of a laugh. "You met Kei."

Zuko tilted his head. "You know her?"

"I went with Rikki for her final fitting before the wedding. Kei is quite the character, that's for sure." Kitani drew little circles in the dirt with her pointer finger and smiled fondly at the memory, as an awkard pause followed the brief conversation.

"So..." Zuko began uncomfortably, "what brings you out here?"

"Oh me? I was just..." Kitani shook her head and laughed darkly. "thinking."

"Oh?" Zuko's brow cocked at her, and she looked up just in time to see it. "I'd be rather interested to know what about. There are plenty of meetings coming up tomorrow I'm sure I'll see you at. Got any thoughts?"

"I was thinking about Rikki. Your father. Whats going to happen to Kun'li after all this," Kitani gestured wildly to the surrounding area. "settles down. After you're Firelord and everyone gets used to it. What's going to happen to us?" Kitani gazed up at the young Prince, eyes narrowed, as he sighed deeply and finally lowered himself to the grass next to her.

"What would you have happen, _Daranaia_?" Zuko looked at her earnestly. Had it been his predecessor, Kitani would have thought twice about speaking so plainly, but something about this boy seemed far less threatening than his father. Mustering up what courage she had, she spoke her truth,

"I would have the Fire Nation pull out of our land."

A long, tense pause followed, Zuko stared out into the water intently, no doubt lost in thought at the suprising statement. "Our people are tired, working day and night procuring enough sheet metal to support the armed forces. Our men fought and died in your father's war in Rakia's name. The price weve been selling to the Crown for isn't sustainable, and my father doesn't see... I see everday what that sham of a marriage did to our little island and I would beg you to put an end to it, Prince Zuko." she could feel her body temperature rise, tears welled in her eyes and stung her lashline.

Zuko nodded, slowly. After what seemed like forever, he said, "Okay. I'll consider it."

Kitani blinked at him. "You... you will?"

"I will think about it. There is definitely more nuance to this than I think I can hear from just you. But it will be discussed more in depth tomorrow. I'm sure I'll see you?"

Kitani scoffed. "If my father thinks my loud mouth won't ruin everything."

Zuko laughed bitterly. "There are worse things than being not invited to a meeting for having a history of speaking out of turn." he quipped. Kitani nodded, and he rose slowly. Walking away from the pond, he heard a long sigh from the young woman. It was going to be a _long_ month.

Kitani shook her head to herself, thinking on the last time she was here in the courtyard...

 _A warm summer breeze caught the loose strands of hair from Kitani's half-updo. She breathed in the warmth of the air and the dry but floral scent of the Palace courtyard in the Caldera city summer. Kitani let loose the breath, freeing all the air she held in her lungs, the soft lilting musical overture and the notes of laughter from within the palace framing her solitude perfectly, as the whole of the Fire Nation must have been inside, enjoying the wedding, except for her. Lost in thought, she stared up at the quarter moon in silence, sipping from a bottle of wine she'd stolen from the palace staff until she heard the screen door on the far end of the yard click. It was a harsh sound juxtaposed against the music and the cacophony of insects that chirped about in the darkness. Kitani snapped out of it and her head whirled to see who it was._

 _Leaning with his back against the wall, head titlted up to the sky, was none other than her new brother. By instinct she immediately began to gather herself. She'd come out here for a koment of provacy, he'd no doubt done the same thing. And if the Firelord wanted his privacy-_

 _"You don't have to leave, Daranaia." A cold raspy voice called from the end of the garden, catching her by suprise, she almost dropped the bottle in her hands._

 _Kitani smiled. "I thought you might have came out here to be alone."_

 _"I suppose we should learn to tolerate each other at some point." the Firelord drawled, beginning to walk to the bench where Kitani had once more set her bottle and herself down on. He came up to stop at the edge of the seat. "May I?"_

 _The younger woman smiled and nodded toward the marble, watching him intently._

 _"What are you doing out here, anyway?" Firelord Ozai interrogated._

 _"Oh..." Kitani looked away from him back up to the sky. "I came out here to relax for a few moments. Get away from it all. It's hard..." Kitani paused, looking at her hands, the stars, the pongld in the center of the garden, anything but her new companion. "that's my baby sister."_

 _Ozai nodded, a small smile on his face, but it didnt seem genuine."She'll be taken care of, I assure you." The Firelord placated. "She's adjusting well, the people seem quite taken with her, mostly."_

 _"What about you?" Kitani passed the wine bottle to the man, hoping this could detract from the impropriety of the question she asked._

 _"Hm?" Ozai hummed as he took the bottle from her, his fingers brushed hers and she resisted the urge to jerk away. She thought Rikki had a good judge of character but something about Firelord Ozai just didn't_ seem right.

 _"Are you just as 'taken with her'?" Kitani urged._

 _Ozai didn't speak for a moment, and the silence hung anxiously in the air. After a moment his eyes narrowed at the moon. "Regardless, this_ will _be an advantageous marriage."_

 _Something about the way he said it made Kitani feel like she ought to accept this answer as sufficient. She watched as he took a too-large swig from the wine bottle._

 _"Can I ask you to do something, your Majesty?" Kitani posited._

 _The tan of the wine bottle parted with his whote lips, and Kitani swore she saw him roll his eyes._

 _"What do you want?" he almost snapped at her, thrusting the wine back at her, which she narrowly avoided getting splashed by as she withdrew at the unwarranted anger she'd just witnessed. At this point, she wasn't sure he could oblige with the request she had, but she tried anyway._

 _"Take care of Rikki." She pleaded, and almost felt him soften at the familiar nickname. "Keep her safe, please." Kitani dared to look up at him, dared to look into his eyes._

 _The Firelord tilted his head and smiled a smile that did not reach his eyes. "I will." he promised, laying the wine on the bench between them and laid a flat palm on her back. Standing, he extended a helping hand to Kitani. "We should get back now. Our abscene will be noticed if we dawdle too much longer."_

Kitani shook the memory from her head. _Hopefully,_ she thought to herself, _his son is a little better at keeping his word._

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **Thanks for reading! Don't be shy, if you like, leave a review, I don't bite. Some Bato-Kitani interaction is com and ng up NEXT CHAPTER I promise, and I can't wait.** **Again, thanks for reading k love you bye.**


	6. Chapter 6

As countless nobles filed into the War Room, Zuko couldn't help but flush with pride. He wasn't even _technically_ Firelord and yet, almost everyone he had invited had come. Even though the Earth King, who had taken his extended leave of absence, hadn't come, at the very least an ambassador had come in his stead. Fire Nation, Air Nomad, Earth Kingdom, and Water Tribe alike had all come to _his_ palace to discuss plans to rebuild society after war. It wouldn't be easy, he knew. He was sure _months_ of endless meetings were ahead, and that he'd get bored of seeing everyone's stupid face eventually, but for now, all he could do was smile.

As the nobles and his... (friends? allies? both), milled about, Zuko caught a familiar face from the other day in the courtyard. The young woman, Kitani, walked arm in arm with the ex-Firelady herself, chattering happily to her brother behind them, all three siblings had their father in tow. The young prince sighed, and his spirits lowered a bit. He was likely in for a fight. This meeting was to decide what sort of deal to strike with Kun'li. He'd told Kitani he'd think about removing all Fire Nation influence, and he did! However, after advice from the council he'd appointed to help him deliberate decisions, he was quickly learning that backing off was not an option.

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Uncle, Hakoda, and every sage he'd asked were all against it, for various reasons. Some reasons, including the possibility of unrest in the region, were troubling. After all, some islanders may not have the full story on what had transpired since Sozin's Comet, and Rakia was like their princess. To some of her people, no doubt, all they've seen is their Chief's son-in-law being overthrown in a military coup, and of all the things the young Firelord to-be needed on his hands, a peasant revolt _wasn't_ one of them.

Zuko shook the thoughts from his head. His friends and counselors all made good points, and he agreed with them for the most part, but the _most important_ part about all this, he realized, was that _he_ didn't want to. And as interim Firelord, pending coronation, he had the final say in the matter. If he didn't make his decisions and stick to them, how would he ever gain respect as a Firelord? Still, even as he talked himself up and feigned confidence, he found himself doubting if keeping the Fire Nation in Kun'li was the right decision. As the final stragglers filtered in, Zuko rose to open the meeting.

"Good morning, welcome, everyone. I want to thank you all for being here, as well as recognize your presence in previous meetings and meetings to come. At this particular moment, we'll be discussing what to do with the Fire Nation occupation of the island of Kun'li." Zuko paused to take a breath, but before anyone could make their point on what they thought ought to happen, Zuko started again. "I do plan on opening the floor in a few minutes for debate. However, I'd like to begin this meeting by stating that I have listened and taken into account many pleas and advice from trusted associates in this matter." Zuko snuck a glance at Kitani, stomach turning when he saw her hopeful face listening intently.

"The island of Kun'li has, as of yet, been a near indispensable asset to the Fire Nation. They've provided countless valuable materials for war technology and maritime advancements. When my father, resigned Firelord Ozai-" Zuko noted the uncomfortable shift in some of the Fire Nation nobles at his use of the word 'resigned', and Zuko kicked himself internally because _resigned_ didn't accurately describe his fathers fate. "-married Daranaia Rakia, Kun'li ultimately came under the oversight of the Fire Nation even more than before, and I don't intend to rip any rights or protections away as if the contributions of Kun'li mean nothing to the Fire Nation.

"With that being said, it is my belief that by resigning as a nation to the deal made between Chief Lu'kaa and Ozai, Kun'li contributed to the war and the subsequent damage caused by it, nevermind what duress the deal was made under. Therefore, the Island should not be excluded from reparations discussions with any affected countries, and with the reparations deals with the Earth Kindom and Water Tribes inevitable after my coronation, Kun'li needs to be included in Fire Nation society, as it has benefitted from such society.

"Essentially, Kun'li's assets are far too valuable, and contributions to the war are too vast, to just let slip away. I'd like to posit to the board," Zuko looked at Kitani's face, her eyes narrowed, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, "that the Fire Nation _not_ pull out of the Island of Kun'li."

The room was dead silent for only a half second, barely enough time for the room to truly process. But the object of Zuko's anxiety took no time at all.

Standing up right away, Kitani lay her palms flat on the table a little harder than necessary.

"What?!" she exclaimed, head whipping around to the Prince. "That's not fair, you _told_ me you'd consider pulling out of Kun'li!"

Zuko opened his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a behemoth of a man sitting nearby, Lu'kaa. "Kitani, _sit down._ "

Kitani's rage changed course, "No! Father, I _will not!_ They can't keep _doing this to us."_ the younger woman all but snarled at her father.

"This isn't the same Firelord, and we don't have to play by the same rules. We don't even have to play this game at all anymore. The deal was Rikki would marry the Firelord, and he'd start paying for our resources instead of just killing our men and taking them. And I don't know where the _fuck_ they put Ozai," Kitani gestured about the room wildly. "but he's not here, and he's not on the throne. Need I remind you it was Firelord _Ozai_ who was married to Rikki, _not Firelord Zuko._ " Kitani turned back to stare down Zuko.

Lu'kaa, the younger piped up, interrupting his little sister's tirade. "Really? Kitani? Firelord Ozai? _That's_ the hill you're gonna die on?" the man began to rise to Kitani's level.

"Yes! That's the hill I'm gonna die on, Lu'kaa." Kitani spat at her brother.

Zuko gazed around the table helplessly, he couldn't get a word in edgewise...

"Enough!" Chief Lu'kaa bellowed. "I will _not_ have my children bickering like toddlers at a meeting meant for adults. One more word from either of you and I will throw you out of this meeting _myself."_ Lu'kaa nodded and sat, looking like he wanted to say something else, but keeping control.

Kitani stayed standing, and took a deep breath. Her father was right. The 13 year olds at the head of the table were acting more mature than she was. Yet, she couldn't stop. This anger, it ate at her as thoughts flashed through her head about how she couldn't save her sister from Ozai, couldn't save her people from the Fire Nation, couldn't circumvent the road blocks put up before her to get her country back to the way it _was._

She looked back up at the table. "I can't help but think about the last time I spoke to Ozai." she paused, drawing in another breath, looking down at the map of the world on the wooden slab below. "It was his wedding day, in the Palace courtyard. He'd gone out to get away from it all and take a breath, much like I had. We had a very brief conversation, but I remember part of it was that... I asked him to keep Rikki safe." Her ebony eyes lifted, the tears welling up reflecting the fire that flickered in the torches that were mounted on the adjacent wall. "I begged him to take care of her."

The room remained silent, all eyes were turned to the Daranaia of Kun'li. "And for the second time in my life, I'm experiencing," she turned to Zuko. "What the word of the Firelord is truly worth."

That earned a few gasps from the nobles around the table, and even a few suprised glances amoung his personal counsel. But Kitani wasnt done, no.

"So you keep your deal. Don't cry to me when our people are starving and exhausted in 6 months. And don't _even try_ to use Rikki as your _pawn_ again." Kitani, turned on her heels after lecturing her father one last time, rushing out of the room. Her dark frame dissapeared behind a polished wood door that wasn't slammed, but the sound of it clicking shut was deafening in the stunned silence of the meeting hall.

"Rakia," Chief Lu'kaa said softly to his youngest daughter. "Perhaps you should go-"

"No." Rakia interrupted, wiping a few tears of her own out of her painted eyes, the product of her sisters emotional outburst, and speaking over the loudest 'FUCK' Zuko had ever heard in his life, yelled by a familiar voice several tens of feet down the hallway.

Lu'kaa rubbed his temples and squinted his eyes at the table grain. "What is it with my children telling me 'No' today?" he muttered to himself.

Rakia was now the one to stand, looking nervously at the assembled leaders, the Avatar, the nobles she had been acquainted with for the last year. "Regardless of how I feel about the situation, or what I did or didn't know about Ozai's past, his thoughts, beliefs, actions, or intentions, I'm a part of this deal. My actions, and my father's actions, are the precipice on which the whole thing teeters. I made a choice to marry him, I made that call. He may no longer be in power, but Ozai is still my husband, and I feel partially responsible to help clean up this... shit pile he's left for you to deal with. I had a part in creating it, even if just a small one, and I _will_ have a vested interest in making things right and in what happens to Kun'li from this day, to the end of my days. The time for Kun'li to hide in the shadow of the mountains of that island was over the second Ozai took me as his wife. Kitani can have her fit. So," her gaze turned directly to the Prince. "Let's negotiate."

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Early evening that same day, Bato walked into a different meeting to sit in on a reparations discussion regarding a few larger villages on the western coast of the Earth Kingdom. Hakoda had filled him in on what had happened to the meetings he'd skipped to get a clean change of clothes that actually fit. He silently cursed himself for not going to the morning meetings, it sounded like he'd missed quite a bit of entertainment. He shuffled over to a corner at the edge of the room as he parted ways with his friend, who had a name card at the center table. As he settled in, his eye caught a cluster of black-clad, dark islanders. Most made their way to the center table as well, save for one, who looked about the room for a moment. Seeing Bato, and the seating area around him, she started to make her way to him. It was that Kitani girl, and she smiled a smile that seemed fake.

"Ah, Bato." She addressed. "It certainly is good to see you again."

Bato nodded at her. "And you. But, shouldn't you be at the center table, _Daranaia?_ " he jeered.

The side of Kitani's mouth ticked up in a half-smirk. "Nope. I'm _grounded_."

Bato feigned suprise. "Whatever for?"

Kitani laughed and shook her head. "You tease me, so I assume you know my father wasn't a fan of what I had to say to His Highness in the last meeting I spoke at."

"Well, let's try to make this meeting a little less..." Bato trailed off, searching for a word. "disrupted."

Kitani eyed Bato as he turned his attention to the meeting that had opened not seconds before. Realizing he really did want to pay attention to the meeting even though he wasn't going to contribute, she rolled her eyes and followed suit. "Well, that doesn't sound very fun _at all._ "

Kitani could have sworn she heard a soft laugh from the warrior that sat about foot away. He certainly seemed in a better mood now that he wasn't in prison. He joked, when everyone around her seemed obsessed with discussing business and staying serious. Certainly, her first impression was that he was just as stoic, just as _boring_. Of course, some of those attitudes she'd brought on herself by losing her shit in the very first meeting she attended, but still!

About 40 minutes passed, while the meeting got very little done in the negotiating part. Kitani kept stealing glances at her new companion, hoping to grab his attention. Not being able to contribute to the meeting had left her very bored, and she searched desperately for something to help her attention. She'd been drawing on her notes, folding little cranes with them, picking at the floor like a child. Finally, instead of waiting for the man to steal a glance back at her she just wrote a note, passing the paper to him that read,

 _Do you want to leave?_ Bato picked up the paper and glared at it, holding it far away, then very close. He turned to her, exasperated, holding the paper up next to his head as he whispered, "I don't know how to read Calderan. I don't know what this says."

Kitani blushed in embarrasment. He grew up in the Water Tribe, _of course_ he didnt read Calderan. "Sorry," she whispered back. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Bato sighed. " _Spirits, yes._ But, won't you get in trouble again?" he smiled wickedly at her. Making light of her disgrace, how _rude._

Kitani scoffed at him. "Pfft. No one's paying attention to us, we can sneak out. I mean, look at your man." She jerked her head to the center of the room.

Bato looked over to Hakoda, back fully turned to them, listening to the current speaker, then to the woman's family. The story was much the same with them.

After a short pause, Bato agreed. "Fine. You go, I'll be right after you."

Kitani smiled wide and silently rose, slipping out with relative ease and no one looked at her once. As soon as Bato was sure no one would notice, he too slipped out, finding his acquaintance around a corner inpecting a potted plant with great intent.

"What are you doing?" Bato cocked his head at young woman.

Wordlessly, she reached out and picked off some squirming, green, cylindrical body. A bat-moth caterpillar. She raised it up like it was some prize. "Let's go set this fellow free." She suggested, taking off down the hallway.

Bato shrugged and followed, being led around countless corridors and corners. He hoped to the Spirits this woman knew where she was going because he would never have found his way. Soon, they arrived at a great golden foyer, with two guards, one on each side of a great cherry-wood door. They were let through the door with no protest, and Kitani turned to the second set of guards outside the doors, cradling her caterpillar like a precious gem.

"Bato of the Southern Water Tribe and Daranaia Kitani of Kun'li have left the Royal Palace and are expected to return later this evening." She stated matter-of-factly to the more decorated of the two sentries. He inspected their faces and clothing, and gave a curt nod to the pair. Setting the caterpillar down near a wide marble pillar, trimmed with gold, she turned to Bato. "Ready?"

"Where are we going?" Bato asked, stepping toward her, squinting at the change in lighting, now that they were outsode. Even in the evening, the sun was blinding during the summer here.

Kitani shrugged, turning to walk down the Palace steps. "To get into trouble. Don't step on the caterpillar." she instructed, leading him into the intricate web of Caldera City.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~** **Well, that was _slightly_ longer than my norm, but I knew exactly how i wanted this chapter to go and just _didn't stop_. :'D** **So, in case you haven't noticed, parts of this story are also about how Zuko adjusts to a country that's been left A MESS. Let me know how it's turning out.** **Thank you SO MUCH for the reviews and follows and such. See you next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

Kitani moved fast through the crowded, bustling streets of inner Caldera. She wasnt exceptionally thin, but she was rather short, and managed to maneuver around countless citizens with varying degrees of ease. Bato, however, was not so lucky. Of all the things he was ashamed of, his physique _wasn't_ one of them. But, being physically imposing as he was, it didn't make an easy time keeping up, and he earned himself quite a few stares from citizens. His blue clothing, blue eyes and the moon emblazoned on his chest marked him rather clearly as an outsider. He lost his tour guide under multiple heads, multiple times. At least she wore darker colors than the rest, on average, so it was easy to pick her out of the crowd... when he could actually see her.

Finally, he caught up to Kitani, and reached out to grab her shoulder. She turned to him, smiled, and cocked her head. "What's up?"

Bato motioned to the crowded street behind him.

Kitani looked around him to see all the hustle and bustle, raising her eyebrows amd exclaiming, "Oh!" like she'd never noticed a single body in her way. She moved behind him and placed an urging hand between his shoulder blades. "Perhaps you can lead the way then, O Large One."

Bato scoffed, reeling against her pressure. "I can't lead the way, I have no idea where we are or where you are taking me."

Kitani groaned. "Just go straight, I'll tell you when to stop." He let up and moved forward, her hand disconnecting from his back as he cleared the way through the crowded city street. "Put on your best scowl, people _will_ move out of your way. I'd do it, but I look like I'm 12, I'm not very scary."

Bato rolled his eyes, listening close for the 'turn right heres' and the 'go straights' and even one 'hey look! A puppy!' before they arrived at a small, unassuming looking building. Its walls were masonry, and it stood about three stories tall smushed right up against more similar looking buildings lining the cobblestone street. In front of it was a sign in Calderan he couldn't read, and the windows were fully covered in curtains. If it werent for the sounds of talking and laughing, and he could even swear one person singing, he would have sworn this woman was taking him out to kill him.

Kitani moved in front of him again, pulling the low quality wooden door open. He followed her into the relative darkness of the building, ducking through the doorway to reveal a small bar, almost every table taken up and only a few bar seats open. The place was lit only by torches and candles, and in the far corner he saw a few game boards and some old men poring over them. Kitani, he noticed, didn't wait for him to soak it in, she had walked right up to the bar, not even turning around. He sighed and followed, it was like being with a child, she was _everywhere at once._

As he drew near, he heard Kitani chirp, "So, what do I gotta do to get a decent pour of Fire Whiskey in this Gods-forsaken joint?"

The bartender behind the counter looked up from the glass he was wiping dry. "Kita!" the plump, older Fire Nation man with lily-white skin and a neatly trimmed grey beard smiled widely.

"Danzin, how are you?" The young woman leaned over the bar counter and clapped the man on the shoulder, placing a light kiss on his wrinkled cheek. A small handful of patrons about the establishment chimed in 'Hey Kitani' as the man, Danzin, chattered about some waitstaff girl that quit yesterday, and how he was running out of the good kind of sake.

Bato leaned over to murmur in Kitani's ear as he took the stool next to her, "So, do you just know _everyone_ that frequents this place?"

Kitani shrugged and turned to face him, their faces now a bit too close, and tilted her head. "I make friends easily. I mean, I met you two days ago. Now look at us, skipping important meetings and drinking in strange bars together."

"Hardly think the bartender knowing you by your first name counts as a 'strange bar' but sure." Bato mused. Kitani opened her mouth to reply but her attention was snapped back to the old bartender, who placed two metal cups full of a strong, spicy smelling amber liquid in front of them.

"Your usual, my dear. For you and your ah..." The bartender smiled at Bato, noting his slight shifting under his scrutiny. "Friend."

"Oh Gods, I _am_ so rude." Kitani laughed, leaning forward once more, minding the drink before her, to whisper, "This is Bato, he's come to the multi-nations summit His Royal Highness Zuko is currently hosting and the coronation in two days, as the right hand man of Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe and we are... skipping out." she winked at the man in front of her.

Danzin chuckled, "So the first place you drag this poor fellow out here to my hole in the wall? You know how to give people the grand tour, Daranaia." the old man tsked and shook his head, but was smiling and seemed quite amused. "Are you opening a tab, darlin'?"

Kitani lay a few bronze coins on the table. "Sadly not today. Don't want to get back to the palace reeking _too_ heavily of liqour. We might get..." she turned to Bato. " _in trouble..."_ she mocked.

"Well, then enjoy your drinks, you two. This old man ought to leave you two with some privacy." Danzin smiled and took his leave, but not before giving Bato and good once-over, and a knowing gaze at the both of them. He wasn't sure what this man thought he _knew_ about this little outing, but he was wrong.

Too long at sea and war had left Bato with little time for women. He had thought about it once, years ago, when the Water tribes remained largely undisturbed, but after the Fire Nation invaded and took away or killed off half the village population, he'd mostly given up. The Southern Water Tribe had other things to worry about. Being Hakoda's right hand man had it's downfalls after all, and one of those downfalls being that the only female company worth having that he had the time for cost him too much money. And now, he was too old for it. At 35, most women his age and several years younger already married and had families, and the women his age that hadn't, well, he had yet to find one.

Bato was snapped out of his thoughts by the woman beside him, sliding the glass over to touch the rim of his, a sort of toasting motion. Following her lead and taking his first drink of the amber liquid, it burned down his throat and he almost gagged. It had a strong, acidic feel going down and a cinnamon finish.He grimaced at the after taste, feeling his body warm the further the liquid traveled. "What on the Gods' green earth is _this?!"_ he demanded of his companion.

Kitani shrugged, sipping her own glass and not reacting at all. "Fire whiskey. Except, as I understand the distilling process it's actually closer to a brandy but..." She took another sip and let it set in her mouth for a moment. "it's liqour and it gets you trashed, so I don't care."

Bato nodded, reluctantly taking another sip. The more he drank it, the less he wanted to vomit, so at least there was that.

"So, tell me about Bato of the Southern Water Tribe." Kitani's painted eyes flitted up to the warrior next to her, attempting to make conversation.

Bato shrugged, staring at his glass. "Guess that depends on what you want to know." He turned to her, observing her inquisitive face.

"Just, whatever you want to share I guess." she turned on her barstoll to face him completely. "I don't bring people to bars to depression-drink in complete silence." she quipped.

Bato shook his head, this Kitani woman had a terrible filter, he'd learned, but she spoke plainly, and he was coming to find that as a rarity in the Fire Nation Capital. "I'd rather talk about you."

Kitani raised her eyebrows and drew back. "You would?" Bato just stared at her, her eyes flicked to the counter and she smiled sheepishly. "There's not a lot to say about my life up until just recently. Things kind of... blew up after Rikki got married."

She looked up at Bato, and could tell that wasnt a good enough answer for him. Sighing, she continued. "You've met my father, Chief Lu'kaa, my mother's name is Ynga, she's back at home, running things with our oldest sibling, Kitake, she's 31. Then my brother Lu'kaa, I'm between him and Rikki, who's the youngest. I have a nephew, Ake, he's my sisters kid and he's just, literally the best." Kitani smiled fondly, not looking at Bato. "What's your home like?"

It was Bato's turn now to stare off into space. "I don't know what it is like now, I've been away from home too long. It wasn't great when I left. Of course, we left because of the Fire Nation and what they did to our home."

Kitani gave him a quizzical look, and then shifted, uncomfortably. "Sorry." was all she could say.

Bato shrugged. "You weren't the one that drove the ships into our village, and you weren't the one that gave the order, so, no hard feelings, I suppose." he said, attempting to lighten the mood.

Kitani laughed awkwardly, taking a far too large drink of her liquor. "So, you have any kids?" she inquired, testing the waters now that Bato seemed a bit more comfortable.

"No," his head shook. "Not that I know of, anyway." he breathed.

Kitani threw her head back and laughed. "That's fair." Finishing up, she set the glass onto the table beneath the counter. "Finish your drink, lady killer, we should probably get back soon."

She had a point. Choking back the last of his drink he followed her lead out the door and back to the palace. The way she took was different than the first time they came, and the streets far less crowded as the sun sank ever nearer to the crest of the mountains that surrounded Caldera. She walked up to the palace guards and turned on the more authoritative voice he had heard earlier that day.

"Daranaia Kitani of Kun'li and Bato of the Southern Water Tribe left the palace this afternoon and have returned to retire for the night."

The guard, a different man than before, looked the pair up and down, and nodded to his companion. They swung the doors wide open for them, and Kitani thanked them as she and Bato entered.

"Well, Bato, this has been fun, my friend." She turned around and nodded at the man. "But we should probably go deal with the consequences of our actions." Kitani turned on her heels and began walking away. "If you and Hakoda get in a fist fight and you need someone to back you up, I'm staying in the West Wing."

Before Bato could say anything, Kitani turned right down the hallway and vanished into thin air, leaving Bato alone in the corridor. Bato sighed, not sure what to think about the events of the day, and realized, to his dismay...

 _He had absolutely no clue how to get back where he was staying._

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~** **If you have feedback to give, let me know how you like the story so far! If you don't want to leave a review, thats fine, I still appreciate the likes, follows, and views I've been getting from everyone!!!! 3**


	8. Chapter 8

Kitani crept through the passageway to the apartment his Highness was so gracious to let her family stay in. After spending another few hours in the courtyard and generally avoiding everyone that had attended the first meeting of the day, the last thing she wanted to worry about was a stern lecture from her father, at almost _28 years old._ How embarrasing. The antechamber was dead silent, and pitch black, lit only by a few candles. As Kitani breathed a sigh of relief that everyone had retired for the night, she heard the cushions at the tea table in the corner shift.

"You came back awfully late." Rakia's voice scolded lightly from the darkness, the whites of her eyes wide in the nights cover and her face lit only by the light of the two candles that sat on the slab before her.

"I went to out." Kitani excused. "Shouldn't you also be in bed? You have a lot of face to save in the next few days. Lack of sleep and dealing with shitty noblemen doesn't really mix." she joked, but Rikki seemed in no mood to joke.

"I haven't been able to sleep for a bit." she confessed in the solitude of the foyer. Kitani sighed and crossed the room, taking a seat across from her baby sister.

"I thought you were taking all this weirdly well." Kitani observed. Her sister was never very emotional, not in all their years together. Even when they were children, she never cried when she lost a game or a bug died or a boy was mean to her. She tried harder, ignored pain, and beat the shit out of her problems. It was one of the reasons she decided to come here and offer herself to His Majesty in the first place. Whatever he could have said to or about her, she could take it. Rikki was one of the toughest people she knew. Even with her hard shell, she just seemed so... desensitized to the fact that her husband was... well no one knew for sure where, and a country that once was hers had been overthrown by a stepson she knew nothing about.

"Well..." Rakia laughed, and it didn't sound real at all. Kitani noticed her desperately tryong to push down a rim of tears just beneath her eyes. Rikki drew in a breath, regaining some of her old composure. "There's a lot to unpack here."

Kitani's baby sister looked at her with those wide, obsidian eyes, and she knew Rikki wasn't talking about the chests of her belongings she'd moved out of the Royal Suite to make room for the new Firelord. Kitani moved to extend her arm over the table to place a reassuring hand on Rakia's.

"It has to be hard. I can't imagine..." Kitani assured.

"You don't have to do that, Kita." Rakia tried to laugh at her sisters feeble attempt to comfort her.

"Neither do you." Kitani stated plainly, staring down her sibling. Rikki's cover was breaking, and she was trying desperately to remain invulnerable. It wasn't working. The younger woman looked at Kitani for a good, long while until Rikki did something she'd rarely been seen doing. She let go.

Heaving a great sigh, her whole body went almost limp, head hung low, she almost whispered, "I just don't understand."

Kitani moved, crawling around to the other side of the table, arms wrapping around her sister and pulling her close. "Talk to me."

"How could he _do_ this, Kita? Better yet, how could I not have known? I've been so stupid... so naïve." Rikki wept, turning into the arms of her big sister. "He kept so much from me, and I never even had a clue."

Kitani rested her chin on Rakia's head, one hand coming to her shoulder blades. "Well, it seems your husband just wasn't the person you thought he was, or any of us thought he was, for that matter. And I'm sorry for that, Rikki. It shouldn't have happened to you."

"And for him to do _that_ to a _child._ " Kitani's sister sobbed. She knew Rikki was talking about Zuko, and she just nodded her head. It had to be striking for her sister to have uncovered all this.

"I know, I know." Kitani soothed. What else could she say? She couldn't fix this for Rikki, not this time. They stayed like that for a small eternity, just talking through it. Rikki _needed_ this chance to vent, and Kitani wanted to give her that opportunity. Eventually, Rakia's words fell, hrr breathing slowed, Kitani's attention bled out of focus, and they lay there, on the cushions by the tea table to rest until morning.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Bato opened the door to his suite, cringing at the loud _creeeeeeeaaaaak_ that emitted from the brass hinges. As he made to take cover from the outside world and whatever intrusive questions it had about where he had been, he heard quick, heavy steps down the hallway.

"Where did you go, brother?"

Bato turned to see the face of Hakoda, drawing nearer to his door. No way to escape now.

"I just... went out. Needed to get some fresh air." Bato explained like a teenager that got caught sneaking out at night, trying desperately to steer clear of the merciless teasing he'd be subjected to if it was uncovered who he'd spent the afternoon with.

"Katara went looking for you." Hakoda narrowed his eyes, giving his friend a knowing smirk. Bato brought a hand up to the back of his neck.

"Sorry if I worried her." he apologized. Of course he'd be missed, vanishing for an afternoon with no warning or sign of his existence. Did he think he'd just get away with running off?

"So," Hakoda squeezed past Bato and somehow muscled his way into Bato's room to avoid getting a door closed on him. Never was he one to miss out on the chance to embarrass a close friend. "You went and walked about the Capital City alone?" Hakoda jeered.

Bato sighed, his reserve breaking, and he gave in. "No, I wasn't alone..."

Hakoda smiled, like a child. "Who were you with then, hmm?"

Bato rolled his eyes, shutting the creaking door behind him. "You're acting like a woman right now, Hakoda. Just get the childish teasing out of the way so we can move on." the taller man quipped.

Hakoda feigned offense. "No need to insult me like that. I'm glad you admitted defeat and went out with her... but don't get soft on me."

"It wasn't a date." Bato smirked. He jad to admit, he wondered the same thing for a split second, but Kitani was just some bored kid that found the nearest available thing with a pulse to use to get away from those God foresaken meetings, he was sure.

"Sure." Hakoda agreed, still thoroughly unconvinced. "And where exactly did you go?"

Bato shrugged. "Some bar she likes to go to when she's in town."

" 'Not a date'..." Hakoda trailed off as he backed toward the door and mocked his friend. "Whatever." He teased, slipping out the door.

"Hakoda, it _wasn't_ a-" Bato was robbed of the chance to retort as the Cheif slipped out and shut the door behind him. The Warrior rubbed at his temples. Far be it from him to show _any_ interest in a woman if this was the level of teasing he'd be subjected to. It was friendly enough, he knew, but made him fell like he was some teenage kid again. And not the 'oh I feel so young and full of life' way, but the 'suddenly I have girl problems and my friends are teasing me' kind of way. It wasn't a good look.

Bato laughed bitterly to himself in his newfound solitude. He opened the outside door and stepped out onto the balcony, turning his head towsrd the sun that set over Caldera's skyline. It was a dry clkmate, the building mostly just brown, but it was a plasant sight when bathed in the washed-out, warm colors of dusk. Hakoda could have his fun, that girl was _not_ interested in him.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~** **Well that was kind of a short chapter. Oh well, I guess! Thanks for reading, feedback always appreciated!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

Few things Bato had ever seen in his life quite matched the splendor of the celebration prepared to round off Fire Lord Zuko's cornation. Now that the crown of golden flame that once crested his father's head decorated his own night-black mane, he could finally enact all the promises made and deals struck in the previous meetings leading up to this day. Everyone knew this, and the banquet hall reflected the joy that was felt by a nation, nay, a world. Large, round tables lined the gold walls of a grand dining jall, clothed in red fabric and decorated with any manner of candle sticks and flowers native to the country, serving as centerpeices. Bato was ushered to a table near the front, just before the long table that he was sure was meant to accomadate the new Firelord and his council from the previous week. As he stood, hands at the back of his chair watching the rest of Firelord Zuko's invited guests filter in, he saw many faces he knew. Katara and Avatar Aang were being led to the head table along with Sokka and some cute brunette teen he couldn't seem to keep his hands off of.

 _Oh to be young once more_ , Bato sighed, and stayed standing at the chair which held his placard. In strolled Hakoda, who saw him and smiled wide, making his way towards him, a merry band of familiar faces in tow. Following Hakoda's lead was the Daranaias and both Lu'kaas. Lu'kaa, the elder, was a hard man to miss. Hell, they were all hard to miss. The island of Kun'li had stayed out of the war for so long that few had ever seen an islander. But it seems their appearance was soon to be commonplace as the little island had sucessfully wedged itself into international politics with that sham of a marraige.

Bato held out a hand as the Southern Water Tribe Chief drew near. Taking his hand, Hakoda smiled. "Looks like we'll have some familiar guests for dinner, my friend. No head table for us. Best let the kids have their fun."

Bato glanced up at the head table, and it was, in fact, mostly children. It was right to be, though, the new Firelord was, himself, a child, at just seventeen. It was teenagers who'd played the biggest role in saving the world.

Standing behind Hakoda, Kitani stood arm in arm with Rakia, and on her other side was an older woman he'd never before seen, holding hands with a boy of about 5 or 6. Lu'kaa, the younger, waved and beamed, while the Chief loomed over everyone there assembled. Soon enough, everyone had taken their seat, taking this moment to chat before the first toast would be given to signal the start of the banquet. Lu'kaa, the younger, pulled out a chair for the older woman next to Bato and circled the table to grab the decanter at the center of the table. Starting with said woman, the oldest at the table, he began making his rounds with a deep purple liquid, pouring some quite liberally into each glass. As Lu'kaa finished pouring Bato's glass, he lifted the goblet to inspect the fluid more closely.

"Don't worry, Bato." Kitani chimed in, separated from him only by Hakoda. "It's just wine. No one's trying to kill you this time." she lifted her glass toward him, as if to toast, and took a sip.

"Kitani!" the old woman beside Bato scolded. "How rude! Firelord Zuko has not yet made his toast, we ought not drink just yet."

Kitani looked away sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of her neck in her embarrassment. "Sorry, mother."

"Oh!" Chief Lu'kaa clapped his hands together and rose from his seat beside the woman. "Where _are_ my manners! Chief Hakoda, Bato of the Southern Water Tribe, this is my wife, Ynga of the White Sycamore. She's brought my Grandson, Ake. His mother, my oldest daughter, Kitake, assured me she could take care of things back home."

Ynga said her 'how do you do' s and the young Lu'kaa continued to make his rounds. He reached his youngest sister's, but as he poured she stopped him quite quickly. Lu'kaa thought nothing of it and reached the empty chair beside her. Bending down to read the placard before it, he squinted and then straightened, turning to his sister. "Should I fill this one?"

Rakia shook her head quickly. "Best wait for her to arrive. She's always late. She was late to the bridal suite on my wedding day." she laughed.

Lu'kaa shrugged and took his seat, as the new Firelord stood at the head table and a herald called out for everyone's attention. All the while Bato had turned but he hardly was listening. He thanked everyone for coming, touched on a few changes to come, and expressed his excitement for the upcoming years, post war. Soon enough, the speech was over, the first toast made, and the table turned back to face each other.

"By the Gods I am sorry for being late, I got caught in a conversation with Lieutenant Fa Lin and I swear, the man _does not_ shut up." A woman in her mid-30s strutted up to the seat next to Rakia and leaned down to embrace the younger woman. "Rikki! Darling, how are you?"

Rakia smiled and said something softly to her. The woman was rather tall, with impossibly long black hair, ivory skin, and would have been rail-thin if not for the fact that she was very, very pregnant. She sat laboriously, as Rakia turned to everyone assembled, "This is Daxianare Namekura, she's the widow of one of the Fire Nation's war heroes, Admiral Zhao." she explained.

The woman beside the Daranaia sighed, and poured herself the tiniest sip of wine from the decanter and raised it to the rest of the table. Noting how Rikki failed to, or intentionally didn't mention Ozai, she took the goblet before her,

"To the new Firelord." she said as she took one sip, and poured what little was left in Rakia's glass. _Zhao,_ Bato thought. _I've heard that name before somewhere..._

"So, Dasha, where's Rayanara? And Danzo?" Rakia prodded, starting up a conversation.

"Oh, they are with my mother. Grandma doesn't _care_ who the Firelord is as long as she gets her pension. And far be it from a woman to protest having the Grandkids around, am I right, mama bear?" The woman said to Ynga, across the table.

The old woman chuckled. "It's good to see you again, Dasha." After a short pause, she looked back at her, "Are you well?"

The mood at the table darkened for a moment. Dasha looked down at the red cloth that covered the table. "It's uh... It's hard." She stammered. "I mean, in a month or two, I'll have three kids on my hands. It's not like I haven't handled the little tiger-monkeys myself before, when he's been away at sea. But it's... different. We had some money saved up. I'll figure something out." She smiled the least genuine smile Bato had ever seen.

"Won't the Crown pay you a death benefit? I mean, he _was_ an Admiral." Kitani interjected, taking a too-large sip of wine.

"Well," Dasha breathed. "Ozai was _going to,_ but..." she didn't finish her sentence, instead electing to gesture wildly at the head table and laughed bitterly. "Like I said, things will be okay."

"Well, if they aren't." Chief Lu'kaa reached to lay a hand on his wife's arm. "There's room for you on Kun'li."

Dasha smiled, although Rakia eyed him as if unsure of his intentions in helping her friend. Did he actually mean it? Or did he mean to get back on Rakia's good side? "Thank you." Dasha said.

Soon, the mood brightened a bit. The first course was brought, some sort of meat and vegetables stuffed into a dumpling pocket, with sauce for dipping. Ynga watched her middle daughter closely, talking across Bato to Hakoda. Bato sat there, reasonably uncomfortable, the only two people he had to speak to were talking across him, about matters that didn't concern him. Lu'kaa noticed, and shook his head and laughed. Calling across the table, the younger man said,

"Oi, Bato! I am now having a conversation with you, for I am quite polite!" He jeered. Ynga rolled her eyes at her son, and her gaze turned to Kitani, whom she'd noticed had glanced over to the man next to her on more than one occasion during her conversation with the girls.

As they finished the first course and the second course went underway, Ynga also noticed Hakoda was quite cognizant of the situation, stealing glances at her daughter, then at the man beside him, then back to her daughter. As the curried noodles had been placed before them, she turned to Ake to pressure him into eating instead of playing with his chopsticks.

Ake, of course, had taken a bit of convincing, and Chief Lu'kaa wasn't helping, allowing his grandson to scrape the noodles off into his own bowl while Grandma wasn't looking. Kitani had since turned her attention to Hakoda, chattering about what exactly people did for fun down in the snow covered wasteland of the South Pole, and Bato finally had a conversation to include himself in.

"I happen to know for a fact Avatar Aang really set a trend when he came up with 'penguin sledding', as my daughter phrased it." Hakoda laughed.

"Ice dodging is huge back home. It's how you become a man." Bato added.

"Ice dodging sounds fairly self-explanatory but do tell me about it!" Kitani said, excitedly, her whole body shifted to better face the Watertribesmen, hanging on Bato's every word as he explained the concept.

"Well, when a boy reaches about 13, 14, or so, their fathers take them out to the ocean, often with others of the same age, to sail. Basically, you'll have to dodge the towers of ice, or the ship will crash." Bato put his hands up for emphasis. "You don't crash, you become a man."

"That's pretty unique!" Kitani chirped. "What about the girls in the tribe?"

"Oh, uh," Bato blushed and looked away. "The girls tend to be a little more discreet..."

A pregnant pause followed, until Kitani bust out laughing, alleviating whatever awkward tension was at the table, and a shy laughter spread over the small crowd around the table.

As the second course was cleared, Ynga managed to catch the eye of a certain Water Tribe chief, smiling knowingly, she spoke. "Kitani?"

The young woman perked her ears up, "Yes, mama?"

"Won't you switch places with me? I believe Ake has something he'd like to ask Chief Hakoda, and this is such a big table for a little voice to talk across." the older woman laughed.

Hakoda smiled slyly and looked over at the woman beside him, who looked suspiciously at her mother, than at the boy, who was not paying any attention to Hakoda whatsoever, then to Bato, then back at her mom and smiled, seemingly annoyed. She began to raise from her spot, "Sure, mama."

As Ynga made her way over to the seat beside Hakoda and sat little Ake on her lap, he leant down and whispered, "How'd you know?"

Ynga smiled a coy smile. "A woman knows her daughters." she laughed.

As soon as Kitani sat directly beside Bato, they were the only two people at the table. Everyone noticed, except for them, that is. No one else existed until the second the new Firelord and the Avater reached their table, making the rounds to thank everyone for coming. Politely, the table stood at their presence as Kitani and Bato stayed seated, deep onto a riveting discussion about holiday celebrations, which ones were great, and which ones _sucked,_ in Kun'li. Lu'Kaa, the younger, finally managed to get their attention by launching a chopstick at the pair.

"Oh!" Kitani exclaimed, and shot up.

"Avatar Aang and I wanted to drop by and thank everyone for coming." The young Firelord annouced to the islanders and Watertribesmen.

"Yes, we're very glad everyone was able to make it!" The tattooed boy beside him chirped. The table as a group smiled and thanked Zuko for having them, as his eyes found Dasha, standing a head taller than her friend.

"Aunt Dasha," Zuko recognized the woman. Her presence was a known one in his childhood. He knew his father cared for her, she'd even tried to be friends with his mother, disregarding her melancholy. "It's good to see you." He said awkwardly.

He was sure she knew about her husband. Her husband Zhao. He hated him. Still, Zuko spoke, "Listen, Dasha, I'm sorry about Zhao, I tried to-"

He was interrupted by a thin white hand held up, which then grabbed his arm and pulled him close. "You don't have to do that, boy." she planted a soft kiss on his forehead.

Zuko nodded, and smiled softly at the woman. Kitani weaved around her seat and ran around the table before the Firelord amd Avatar could leave.

"Hey, uh, Firelord Zuko? Could you hold on for one second?" Kitani queried.

Zuko brought his guard up, remembering the last time he and the Islander had interacted. "Daranaia, I'm a little busy..."

"It's important." She pleaded.

After a moment of thought, Aang clasped his friend on the shoulder and said, "I'll go on ahead. Just catch up when you can." the boy smiled and disappeared into thin air.

Kitani led Zuko a little ways away from the table, careful to stay out of the way of the waitstaff. "Listen, your Majesty, I... I owe you and apology." she admitted, black eyes gazing up to his mouth, not his own eyes. "I shouldn't have lost it a few days ago. I'm sure it's hard, where you're at, with the way you father left the country. You're gonna do whatever's best for your people. Just... please don't forget, Ozai is my brother-in-law, and he is still Rikki's husband, which makes every citizen of Kun'li one of your people, too." Kitani finished, taking in a breath.

Firelord Zuko smiled, a hand coming to Kitani's arm. "No worries. Your concern for your people is understandable. I will do what is in my power to take care of the people of Kun'li" he admitted.

Kitani beamed and bowed at the newly crowned Lord. "Thank you."

Kitani returned to Bato's side for three more courses of ignoring everyone else. And, with all courses finished and the tables cleared, the furniture was moved to the sides of the room and behind false walls, and a _real_ party was in order!

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **That's all for now! Some fluffy family dinner with a side of bitter angst yaaaaaayyyyyy! Thanks for reading, loves.**

 **Feel free to leave a review. Or not. Free country.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Allright ya'll, thank you for coming to my new chapter. I'm pleased to announce that I have finished my wrestling fic and I have finished Tyrants, which means now this has most, if not all my attention.** **Now, this _is_ a romance, so here comes a cliche! Enjoy!**

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

Crowds of bodies moved and swayed to the music. An open bar had been set up in the corner of the ballroom, which sat behind the reception hall. Kitani drummed her fingers on the wood of the bar top, waiting impatiently for the whiskeys she'd gotten for herself and Lu'kaa. She understood a ton of people wanted drinks but damn it this was taking _forever._ Kitani sighed, hearing somebody come up next to her.

"Hey, sweetheart. Why don't I get you a drink?" He slurred. Kitani looked at the young man beside her, a young Captain who had already obviously had one too many. Kitani scoffed at him.

"The drinks are free here, not all that impressive, pal. Not interested."

Her words cut like a knife into the poor young man's soul as he clutched his chest like he was having a heart attack. "It's the thought that counts, honey."

"Bye." Kitani laughed.

"Aw, come on, I was just trying to show you good time, baby-" the boy was cut off by a familiar voice raising over the din of the party.

"Hey!" Kitani turned around at the speed of light to see no one other than Bato come up behind her, turning to the soldier he gave him a hard stare. "The lady isn't interested."

The kid snorted at the giant before him, his sense of self-preservation whacked out by the extensive alcohol consumption. "What're you gonna do about anythin', huh?" he drunkenly challenged Bato, who took a step forward, all height and lean muscle

"Wanna find out?" Bato cracked his knuckles for effect. The young man looked him up and down, thinking twice about his combative tone before backing slowly off the barstool he'd found himself and leaving without a word. The bar tender came up, handing over some brass goblets to Kitani, who thanked him quickly and turned to Bato. She shoved one of the goblets towards him with gusto.

"My hero!" she feigned being impressed.

Bato rolled his eyes at the young woman. "You got two drinks for yourself?" he asked, for there was no one else around those could possibly be for.

Kitani rolled her eyes right back.

"I'm supposed to be getting one for my brother but," she shoved the drink further towards him, forcing him to take it in his hands. "You're more interesting."

Bato ignored the comment and chanced a gaze at what was in the cup. More of that whiskey. He made a face as he lifted the drink up to his lips. Gagging as the heat of cinnamon and liquor burned his throat and traveled to the pit of his stomach, he reached around Kitani to set the cup back on the bartop. "I will never get used to the taste of that stuff."

Kitani laughed. "Well, shit, you aren't supposed to wolf it down like that either, my guy." She took a sip of the whiskey, looking up at Bato. "What brings you to my little corner of paradise?"

"Searching for intelligent conversation." he mused, when in all actuality, he came to pput an end to Hakoda's constant ribbing. He wasn't going to shut up until Bato came over here, that was for sure.

Kitani smirked at the giant before her as he took the barstool beside her that once was occupied by that scrawny excuse of a soldier. "Well, if that's what you are looking for, I'm not your girl." she joked, nudging Bato's arm. "If you want to wax philosophical, talk to Lu'kaa."

"I don't want to talk to Lu'kaa." Bato stated plainly, eyes peerig right through Kitani. She shifted slightly, laughing nervously and pushing down the butterflies in her stomach. This harmless light-hearted flirtation might have gotten out of hand, the more she thought about it. Bato was neat and everything, but he was just a bit of fun. Because it was far more than likely that after this coronation, Kitani would never see him again.

"Well, I know where we can find more intelligent conversation if you want to get out of here." Kitani downed the rest of her drink and tilted her head toward the door.

Bato's heart jumped straight to his throat. This woman wasn't actually suggesting...? But, as she realized he wasn't following her she stopped and turned, head cocked to one side and a devious grin on her face. He gulped and made to stand. It wasn't that this Kitani girl was unattractive, quite the contrary. But, he never did care much for useless flings. After a short moment of deliberation, he stood, thinking, _what the hell? It's a party._

Across the room, Hakoda stood with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed, a slight smirk on his thin lips. His kids came by, giggling up a storm and stopped when they saw their father in such a position. "Dad?" Katara was the first to speak up. "What are you looking at?"

Hakoda only pointed in the direction of the bar, where Bato appeared, from so far away, to be smooth talking one of those islanders.

"Yeah!" Sokka emoted a little too loud. "Get it, Bato!"

This earned him a furious shushing from his little sister, as Bato and Kitani slowly disappeared to the far corner of the ballroom.

Bato felt like a nervous teenager again, letting this woman lead him through the weaving corners of the palace corridors. Regardless of what her connotation for the phrase, 'Get out of here' was, she led him to a small roof garden, which held a select few, mostly Kun'li Islanders and whoever appeared to be their conquest for the night. They'd lit a small fire, though Bato wasn't sure of the legality of that. As they emerged from indoors and out to the garden, a familiar voice called out to his companion.

" _Badakit zure gizon berria ekarriko duzula!"_ Rakia made her way over to Kitani, with Dasha in tow. Bato surely didn't speak their language, but he knew teasing when he heard it. Kitani slapped Rakia lightly on the arm, and Rikki feigned offense. She and Dasha smiled politely at Bato, who shifted uncomfortably in the garden full of strangers.

Before Bato could say anything, Rakia turned to him, "My apologies, Bato of the Southern Water Tribe, but would you mind if I borrowed my dear sister? It will only take a second, then she's... uh... all yours."

Bato simply nodded, not acknowledging the merciless ribbing of Kitani's youngest sister, as the two women left Bato to make awkward small talk with Dasha. Kitani shot him a sympathetic look and mouthed, 'Sorry.' which he waved off.

Rakia led Kitani away from the group, to a small outcrop overlooking Caldera. A breeze flew through their hair but made no sound as Rakia breathed in, exhaling utterly horrifying words, "I'm pregnant."

Kitani said nothing, just staring in disbelief at her little sister, words escaping her until she gathered herself. "Please tell me you had an affair with some 20 year old palace guard, Rikki, tell me it's not-"

"It is." Rakia interrupted, stating it as casually as if she'd been telling Kitani what she had for dinner that night. Rakia was sure of it, it was impossible for it not to be Ozai's.

" _Fuck,_ Rikki."

Rikki just nodded, stucking her tongue into the side of her cheek.

"What are you going to _do?"_ Kitani asked, placing an arm around her baby sister.

"Well, the first thing I'm going to do is not tell anyone else an neither are you." Rikka declared, not as a threat, but something about the way she gave Kitani a hard stare got across the point that this was not a conversation to be had with just anyone. Kitani knew better than to argue. Even pregnant, Rikki could probably kick her ass. "I'm going to the White Fog Mountain. To find Akage."

Akage. The High General of Kun'li's defense corps _was_ getting a bit long in the tooth to be commanding an army, and as the Chief's children, any one of them had first dibs at the job, though none of them were really fighters.

Except Rikki.

Kitani remembered when they were children how she could eventually even over power Lu'Kaa. She spent a lot of time with Akage, who took her on as something of a prodigy. She never did get to showcase her talent at the palace, always so heavily guarded, she'd lost her touch. But Rikki was always meant for that job. Kitani was snapped out of her reverie by Rikki's voice once again.

"I'm going to find Akage and have the child, and then I am going to train. I am going to train harder than anyone else on this gods-forsaken planet and I am going to take over our armed forces."

Kitani smiled softly at Rakia. "That's great! I am sure you will do great things for our people!" she chirped.

"I'm not doing it for our people." Rakia deadpanned, which earned a cocked eyebrow from her elder sister. "I'm tired of being powerless."

Kitani nodded slowly, taking all this in. "Regardless, you were too smart and tough to be some middle-aged kings trophy wife, anyway. What are you going to do about Ozai?" Surely she had to divorce him. If not for the fact that he tried to destroy the world, at least for the fact that he got beaten up by a pre-pubescent boy, which was quite disgraceful, regardless of the boy's status as a supernatural warrior.

The younger woman shrugged. "Let him rot. As long as I'm married to him, father can't tell me what to do, and Ozai's going to have a hell of a time controlling me from prison."

Kitani laughed lightly, and Rakia felt a small smile creep onto her face. Kitani turned to face her sister, looking slightly up at her, "I'm happy for you, Rikki. I am. I know you'll do great."

The older woman pulled her baby sister into a tight hug, knowing that going to the White Fog Mountain meant she'd rarely see her after they returned to the island. "I love you."

Rakia returned the embrace, muttering, "I love you, too." into Kitani's shoulder.

They parted, and Kitani roamed back to Bato eventually, who still stood with Dasha, though the two didn't seem to have much to talk about. It was almost certain they didn't have much in common. Bato had never been happier to see Kitani than he was in that moment.

"Miss me?" she teased, seeing the look of relief on his face. He smirked back at her teasing, electing for some teasing of his own.

"Not a chance."

Kitani clutched her chest, gasping as if Bato had told her something fafar more upsetting. "My self esteem will _never_ recover."

Bato scoffed and rolled his eyes. "So, what's everyone doing up here, anyway?" he inquired as Kitani led him to a small park bench in the corner of the yard.

"Oh, it's just so ccrowded at the other party some of us decided to throw a little party of our own." Kitani explained, shrugging off why exactly she had decided to bring Bato, of all people.

"Everything okay with your sister?" Bato inquired searching desperately for a decent topic of conversation. Kitani shifted on the bench uncomfortably before settling with an unconvincing, "Oh, yes, she's fine."

Bato shrugged, so much for conversation; however, Kitani was under no obligation to tell Bato anything about her sister. It wasn't his business. He looked up at the clear night sky, with Kitani following suit. She was still reeling from Rakia's news, conversation wasn't coming to her as easily as it usually did, and she hoped that perhaps staring into the abyss would help because she definitely didn't want to lose Bato's interest.

As if the Gods heard her thoughts, a yellow streak brandished across the night sky, only to disappear once more. Kitani was quick to nudge Bato with her elbow. "Make a wish!"

"Huh?" Bato, who seemed a bit proccupied by the star, seemed startled by Kitani.

"Uh, in Kun'li, whenever you see a shooting star you have to make a wish." She said, the lighthearted mood cut a bit short by Bato's apparent ignorance of meteorite etiquette.

"Oh, that's... not how it is in the South."

 _Bingo_ , there's the conversation. Kitani shifted to fully face Bato, all attention on him. "Well, what is it in the South?" she asked, looking up at him.

"It's someone's soul." He stated as a matter of fact. It wasn't someone's sould, but Kitani humored the man anyway. "They are travelling to the spirit world now."

Bato sounded reverent, gazing up at the night sky, and Kitani kicked her free foot back and forth slightly. "Any one you know?"

Bato turned about and glared at her. "Don't." he bit, moving to stand, but Kitani reached out and grabbed him by the arm, eyes sincere, fingers brushing the textured, scarred skin of his burnt arm.

"I'm not."

Bato sighed, relaxed, and sat back down next to her. Kitani kept her hand on him, feeling the grooves of his healed injury. "Sorry," he muttered. "I've just... we've lost a lot of men the past few months."

Kitani nodded, her grip loosening on his arm but remaining there. She scooted a little closer to him, resting her forehead lightly on his shoulder. Bato tensed, he hardly let anyone touch the scar tissue on his arm, let alone some strange woman he'd only just met.

"I'm sorry, Bato." she muttered into his shirt and he slowly relaxed, letting her put her hands on him. He was all to ready to go be... _alone_... with her, so he slowly talked himself into the idea that it wasn't that big of a deal.

"It's not your fault." He muttered.

"I still feel like shit about it." Kitani sighed, finally unhanding him. "My brother-in-law kind of made a mess of everything."

Bato nodded, it made him a little uncomfortable that Kitani referred to the previous Firelord as her brother-in-law and not ex-firelord Ozai, or just Ozai, or even 'that asshole'.

"But," Kitani fidgeted with her hands in her lap. "I believe in the Avatar and in Firelord Zuko. They may be kids, but they're smart, and people trust them." she smiled.

"Well, let's hope everyone else is as positive about the situation as you."

Bato knew he sure as hell wasn't.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

Kitani never made it to Bato's room. She left him at the door, all doubt of if she was actually interested in him confirmed by that one gesture. _I was just some plaything for her,_ Bato thought to himself as he helped load up a great wooden ship bound for the South Pole.

He turned around, the object of his thoughts standing on the dock with the rest of her family. They all seemed preoccupied with bidding farewell to the new Firelord and his friends, except for Kitani, whose eyes were trained on Bato, she smiled out the side of her mouth and waved slowly to him, not daring to break away from her family as they paid respect to the Avatar and his gang. He nodded curtly toward her, and she let her attention drift back to the matter at hand at his impersonal response.

"Firelord Zuko Avatar Aang, I can't thank you enough for how you have treated me and my family." Rakia gushed, she was taking the lead in speaking.

"It's important to me, Daranaia, that everyone's life my predecessor has tainted can find peace." Zuko smiled, while everyone there present took notice of the lack of the word 'father' in that sentence. "Including you."

Rakia smiled softly at her stepson, while Aang took a slight step forward to include himself a bit more in the conversation, and still a little less trusting than Zuko.

"So, Daranaia, what are you going to do now that Ozai has been stopped?"

Rakia grinned at the young boy, taking in a breath like it was the freshest breath of air she'd ever taken. "What ever I want... I married Ozai to help my people. But, there has to be a better way. And I'm going to find it."

"I believe you." Aang smiled, relieved at Rakia's declaration of a desire to help people, and Rakia beamed back.

Turning to Zuko, she clasped him on the shoulder and stepped in close to him. "You're going to make a good Fire Lord, Zuko. And Avatar Aang, you're very wise and I am confident that you will offer the guidance this world needs."

They bid a final farewell, and Kitani snuck away for a moment to stand behind Bato once more. He had since forgotten and ignored the exchange happening a few feet away. As he turned, he almost jumped at the sight of Kitani standing directly behind him.

"Did I scare you?"

Bato couldn't bring himself to act cold now that she was right in front of him. He breathed, "Nice try."

A small pause followed as Kitani shifted her weight, looking up at Bato. "I guess this is good bye."

Bato rubbed the back of his neck with his palm, damning the heat of the Caldera city summer and remembering the chill in the air that was waiting for him back home with great pleasure. He suddenly found himself not wanting to leave. "I guess."

"Okay, well... Bye." Kitani said, not too sure how to handle this farewell. She found herself wanting to know more about Bato than what little could be found out in a few days, but she'd rationalized to herself quite a lot in the past few hours. She would probably never see Bato again, so what was the use?

Kitani turned tail and ran to her family's ship, her form and figure a frenzy of blacks and silvers as she boarded the steel monstrosity, left to wonder what might have been.

But that most certainly was not the last time Kitani saw Bato...

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

 **Thanks for reading yall!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chief Lu'Kaa made it a point to keep up foreign relations after the P.R nightmare that was his son-in-law. So, when a raven born message made its way into the hands of Cheif Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe in the form of an invitation to the coronation of Daranaia Kitake of Kun'li to Cheiftaness, it was quite a shock to all. Nevertheless, Hakoda packed up and set sail for Kun'li. In situations like this, Hakoda would have left the village in Bato's care, for Sokka was gone helping rebuild the world and Bato knew better than anyone how day to day life was supposed to be around there. Therefore, as the Water Tribe ship came barreling into harbor on a bleak and mountainous island, Bato was left to wonder why he was being drug along, and not helping manage back home. The ship came easily into port, all manner of black-clad islanders to help tie the thing down. Ships from all over the world seemed docked in Kun'Li's bay. Fast on their way to becoming a world power, indeed. There were no royal ships, but Bato would reckon that at least a few high ranking military and governors had come to witness such an occasion.

As Hakoda led Bato down the gangway to the harbor, a familiar face was set there to recieve them. It was a face so familiar, in fact, that it was almost too good to be a coincidence.

The island of Kun'Li wasn't particularly large, but it was much larger than Bato expected. The landscape was covered in a mountainous slate-grey, pine trees littered the horizon scarcely. In what appeared to be the far west end of the island the tallest mountain stood, touching the clouds. At the end of the peir, a rather well-dressed tall woman, taller than Hakoda and about Bato's age, stood with Kitani and Lu'Kaa behind her, waiting for Hakoda and his company to reach them. As the men came closer, the woman looked up at Bato and smiled a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Ah, you must be Cheif Hakoda." she greeted, extending a hand and bowing her head slightly. Bato stepped back awkwardly, embarrassed beyond belief.

"Uh, no, that actually," Bato pointed uncomfortably at his friend. "Is Chief Hakoda."

"Oh, my apologies." The woman straightened, seemingly unaffected. "Regardless, welcome to both of you. I am Daranaia Kitake, I am so very glad you were able to weather the trip."

Kitani, who was still laughing at the awkward meeting, got turned on.

"Kitani! This isn't funny, you told me Cheif Hakoda was tall, what was I supposed to think?" Kitake whirled on her sister, who only chuckled again.

"May I?" Kitani laughed and motioned to the man before her sister. Daranaia Kitake took a step back, unsure what her little sister had planned. The younger woman came to stand right next to Hakoda, who was, in fact, close to a head taller than her, and gestured wildly at the height difference between the two of them. Kitake just shook her head, amused, and beckoned to be followed. Wordlessly, her siblings followed, as did the Watertribesmen. As the entourage followed in the footsteps of the future Chieftainess, Kitani dropped back to walk beside Bato and Hakoda.

The taller man seemed to be ignoring her, with Hakoda watching closely from the side of his eye. Kitani looked sheepishly up at him, "Bato?"

Baton hummed, directing his attention now to Kitani. He remembered well how she led him on last time they met, but he didn't want to be rude by ignoring her completely.

"It's good to see you again." Kitani said, and she meant it. Every once in a while she'd find herself missing his sarcastic comments and hearing him talk about his homeland.

Bato hadn't thought much about Kitani, he had other things to worry about back home, but he'd wonder how she was once every other week. It was good to see she was well. He smiled down at her and said, "You too, Daranaia." but didn't try to strike up any sort of conversation.

Kitani just looked down at the stony ground the rest of the way, suprised by Bato's cold reception of her.

The only real village in Kun'li was by no means a bustling metropolis like Caldera, but it seemed busy enough, especially with the coronation preparations. Back and forth shot multiple people, like balls from a cannon, stopping to bow if they happened to cross the path of Kitake's company.

They were led to what could be considered the back of the village, where the largest stone house wss built, several stories tall, and Kitake went to stand before it.

"We've set aside an apartment for each of you that isn't currently in use, Lu'kaa, will you show Chief Hakoda around? And Kitani, I'm leaving Bato in your care. I'll leave you to get settled." Kitake stated it curtly, but smiled and nodded politely, giving an indication that Hakoda and Bato were welcome to, if not _required_ to take advantage of the hospitality that was offered.

Kitani looked up at her new ward, almost nervously eyeing him and moving to stand before him, smiling as wide as she could.

"Come, Bato, witness my humble abode." Kitani drawled as she stepped back toward the door.

Bato rolled his eyes at the way Kitani was taunting him. It didn't matter how many flirtatious comments the woman was capable of, she wasn't going to let her fool him into thinking she actually _wanted_ him. It wasn't going to happen.

Bato was led through a short series of solid stone hallways. The halls of the Cheifs house in Kun'li were fairly dark, though it was early evening, and few torches had been lit as of yet. They passed a largr dining room, which Kitani pointed out, a sewing cirlce in a room to the right, and several rooms here and there with different functions. A kitchen, a privy, one room had nothing but a loom in it, but many people were hard at work cloth making in it.

The further back in the house they went, the better lit it seemed. It was beginning to seem as not so much a house, but more like a castle. The dwelling was no where near as large as the palace in the Fire Nation, about half the size if that, but it was sizeable. Lost in his tjoughts, Bato nearly ran right over Kitani who stopped dead in her tracks, turning and pushing open a wooden door to an empty room. A young woman was there, fiddling with the bed, finishing up making it up when her attention snapped up to the two new comers. She muttered something quickly to Kitani, who chirped back in their native tongue. The two girls went back and forth, all but ignoring Bato as the younger woman finished up.

"Well, Bato." Kitani turned as soon as the maid took her leave. "This is you for the next few days."

"Thank you, the quarters are much appreciated." Bato smoothed politely.

Kitani shifted, wondering why he was acting so strangely, but opted instead to say, just as politely, "Well, I'll leave you to get settled, then."

Kitani blew out the door like a ghost, and was gone down the hallway in a flash. Bato realized as she went, part of him wanted her to stay, to talk to him, to be near him. But, he'd dismissed her and she was gone instead. Bato had struggled with how he was going to handle Kitani's flirtatious behavior on the boat ride over, knowing that to her he was just a game, a conquest. He couldn't help but feel like he was going to get hurt by the end of it. Sihhing, he unpacked what few things he had brought,and when he was done, moving to look out the window to the village below.

On the stone-paved streets that stretched out before the home, there stood the wecoming commitee again, now doting upon a young, newly-crowned Firelord and the Lady Mai, as well as the Avatar himself who'd flown in with none other than Hakoda's own two children. Bato smiled widely, happy to see them again, and bolted out the door again to receive them in the foyer.

It seemed Chief Hakoda had the same idea, as he met with his brother in arms. The frontmost threshold opened, yet again to the assembled family of soon-to-be Chieftainess Kitake, with a new slew of observers in tow. Kitani had, by some miracle made it back in time to be involved in this procession as well, and so crossed into the front hall, avoiding eye contact with Bato at any chance, a subltety not lost on the older man. Katara and Sokka lit up three shades when they saw the other Watertribesmen and rushed to exchange heartfelt greetings, wmbracing first their father, then Bato.

"Dad! Bato! We've missed you!" They exclaimed, almost in unison.

Bato smiled, returning the embrace of those children he loved like they were his own. "And we've missed you, have you been saving the day as usual while you've been gone?" he probed, which earned the men a dissertation on every bit of political intrigue they'd missed out on by returning to the South after Zuko's Coronation.

Across the foyer, Aang was still exchanging pleasantries with Kitake while Zuko took Mai about to introduce her to the Family of Chief Lu'kaa of Kun'li. Kitake gave Aang the low down on everything he'd missed while dealing with Yu Dao. But Aang notice somebody was missing, somebody he'd have very much liked to see.

"Is Rakia unwell?" Aang queried, looking about for the subject of his curiosity.

Zuko overheard this, and shared Aang's curiosity. "Yes, I would very much like to get an update on the welfare of my step mother."

Before Kitake could reply, Kitani had already interjected, "Rikki went to the White Fog Mountain." Was all she said, but she said it mournfully, for none of them had seen the youngest family member in sseveral months. Kitani knew why she had to go, but it still hurt.

After several moments of uncomfortable silence from Aang and Zuko, thinking perhaps 'White Fog Mountain ' was some sort of afterworld these people believed in, Kitake saved the foreigners from a very awkward situation. "Yes, before my youngest sister married, she was always meant to take over Kun'Li's armed forces. So, when Ozai was imprisoned, Rakia was essentially free to do whatever she wanted. So, she went back. She's still in training, and won't be coming, but sends a hawk greeting you both." Kitake smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

The young men nodded, glad Rakia had found a way to benefit society in a life plan that didn't involve marrying the Most Evil Man in History, as the Earth Kingdom had began to call him.

As the night progressed, it all too soon bled to the next day, the coronation of Daranaia Kitake to Cheiftainess of Kun'Li.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

 **Well, that all I have for you guys now, that chapter was a bit of a bugger to write I must be honest, but I got it written! I feel like this is an appropriate time to assure you guys that we will be seeing Rikki again soon-ish, but not for another two chapters or so.**

 **Let me know what you think so far if you care to, thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12

Cheiftainess Kitake of Kun'Li. The party had started the second the words left the high priests lips, as the populace of both Kun'Li and of municipalities across the globe welcomed the new leader. Her father was also there, and to everyone's suprise, still alive. Many had simply assumed he'd died quietly in his sleep and only when they had a new leader would they reveal this, to avod seeming weak to others. But it would appear the great Chief Lu'Kaa had simply been retired of his duties.

 _3 months ago..._

 _"Thank you for meeting with me, Chief." Kitake wasn't usually one to get nervous, in fact, she rarely showed an emotion ever. But now, as she strolled into the conference room, she swalloed the saliva in her mouth, trying desperately to swallow the nerves with it. She ended up swallowing nothing, nerves were impossible to get rid of and her mouth was bone dry with anxiety and anger._

 _"Anything for my most beloved children." Chief Lu'Kaa replied happily and the sound of cheer in his voice ignited a fire in Kitake._

 _"Well, it's funny you should say that." Kitake didn't take a seat, as was customary, but instead began to pace around the small room. "That wasn't yourq tune a year ago." Kitake turned to look at the confused and livid face of her father._

 _"I beg your pardon?!" He began to stand, but Kitake held a hand up, interrupting his thoughts._

 _"You don't have it!" She narrowly avoided shouting. "Everyone knows about Ozai."_

 _The Chief sat again, reluctantly, and narrowed his eyes at his eldest._

 _Kitake went on, "Everyone knows what he tried to do to the Earth Kingdom, and everyone knows what you did to Rikki when you_ knew _what kind of man he was."_

 _Chief Lu'Kaa spat, "I only did it because I knew he wasn't going to be stupid enough to hurt her!"_

 _"Did you?" Kitake whirled on her father, the question hanging in the air. "Now, you have us in the middle of an international affair, and helping pay reparations for a war we shouldn't have been involved with in the first place." The woman scolded her father._

 _"What do you suggest I do, hm? Don't you dare suggest-"_

 _"I will tell you what you're going to do!" Kitake laid her hands flat on the long wooden table that sat within the conference chamber. "You're going to abdicate the throne to me."_

 _"Kitake, don't be ridiculous, if you so much ss mention an idea so absurd again, you will sorely regret it." Chief Lu'Kaa was now also standing, looming over his daughter, as tall as she was._

 _Kitake stared down her father. "And just what will you do, father? We've already gone back to the days of arranged marriages why not perform public hangings as well?"_

 _Lu'Kaa withdrew. "Kitake-"_

 _"Perhaps we should put it up to a vote for the people, who should be in charge, the man who got the Island involved politically in matter they werent prepared for or the woman who kept our heads above water while that man was off selling his youngest child like a head of cattle?" Kitake sighed and sat down wearily. "Father, I'm doing this for_ your _good."_

 _Lu'Kaa eyed his daughter with great suspicion._

 _"I've been in charge multiple times in the last year, and I know. The people don't want you to come back. Do you know how many assassination attempts I've put an end to, personally? So, this can end in blood, this can end in a coup, or..." Kitake leaned back in the old wooden chair she'd found a temporary home in. "This can end with you retiring, yourself and your archaic ways."_

 **Present Day...**

Although, Lu'Kaa seemed to be far from the cheery retiree one would expect. Everyone else seemed in an unbelievably good mood. Food and drink was plentiful, passed about with glee and song. The affair was a bit less organized than many Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom nobles were familiar with, but the Water Tribe ambassadors were more than at home with the festivities.

A quite large area had been cleared and most of the party circled and swayed to the pipes and strings of Kun'Li's best assemblage of bards. Bato looked out upon the crowd and took a moments to smile softly, thinking of all the toil it had taken to get the world to where it was now. Nothing was going to be easy, but at least, for now, the nations were at peace.

Kitani's eyes found Bato as she twirled about in the arms of one of her contemporaries. He was smiling, a sight she never wanted to take her eyes off of, and she didn't until she felt ice blue eyes trained on her from a different angle. She turned back to her dancing partner, noting the Water Tribe Chief humoring her mother, both observing her stare at Bato like a creep and Kitani felt her cheeks flush. Some of her attention was on her partner, but most was in her own head.

She tried desperately not to let Bato's aloofness get between her and a good time. She liked Bato, that she had tried to make abundantly clear, but her only hang up was the distance. What was the point in getting attached when he'd just sail halfway across the world again in a few days? She'd realized this, after she'd spoken to him at the coronation, it was a lost cause.

They were from different worlds. Not just a little different, but vastly so. Half a world separated them, who could hope to make something like that work? Suddenly in no mood to party, Kitani let her head hang and dismissed herself from the dancefloor. Grabbing a wine glass on her way, she relished the feeling of the goblet, heavy with liquid in her palm. She slipped away, and made her way out towards the docks to turn toward the sea.

Bato watched her as she went, her form moving closer to the beach off in the distance, peering out over the waves rocked by a mild but steady wind. He felt himself wanting to go to her, but he kept his feet firmly rooted as well as he could.

"I think you should go." a voice said from behind him. A girl, no, a young woman, stepped around a large wooden table, azure eyes looked widely up at thean who, for all intents and purposes, was her uncle.

Bato chuckled and shook his head, sighing, and looked out over the party before him, lifting a clay goblet slowly to his lips, saying nothing. Katara's brow furrowed, advancing on the older man.

"Bato..." she began, only to be interrupted by Aang, loud and excitable as ever, calling to the girl,

"Katara! Come with me! Ake wants to teach us how to dance and he's just _adorable._ "

Katara's attention shifted as she smiled and nodded softly at the young man, indicating she was making her way over. Her eyes once again found Bato, who still had his drink tipped, draining it far too fast than was reasonable. Katara gasped,

"Bato!" her hands instantly tore the drink from his lips, setting an almost empty goblet upon the nearby table. Her hand came to rest on his arm as she looked up at him. "You deserve to be happy."

She left him alone, to mull over the exchange. There was Katara, always worrying, always taking care of people, there was no doubt she was Kya's daughter. He rolled back and forth on his feet, trying vainly to keep himself distant when his eyes found Hakoda, who'd found himself a woman to share a dance with. He smiled knowingly, tilting his head in Kitani's direction, to which Bato simply rolled his eyes.

Fidgeting for a moment, and downing what little was left of his liqour, Bato eventually shook his head, quickly in a vain attempt to return himself to his senses. His thoughts were ruling him. Of course, it would be best to just go talk to her and get closure, right?

"Fuck..." he muttered, and promptly looked for an opening to slip away quietly, so as not to attract the attention of a certain meddling blood-brother.

Bato stumbled over to Kitani's secluded little corner and circled the stone to seat himself next to her. Trying to keep her cool, Kitani simply looked up at the man and smiled at him kindly, scooting over to make room for his larger frame.

"Your new Chieftainess seems quite astute." Bato remarked, unsure of what to do or say to the young woman beside him.

Kitani's lips upturned, and she nodded slowly, paying more attention to the waves that lapped on the shore not far from where the two adults had found refuge from the bustle of Kun'Li. "Kitake is one of the smartest people I know. She's going to make a good Cheiftainess."

Kitani's voice was different. She spoke softly, almost as if she'd rehearsed this conversation. A long moment of silence followed, Bato looking over at her every once in a while to see if she'd pay mind to him, but she seemed hell bent on staring a hole straight into the sea before her. The wind weaved through her thick hair, braided tight in tiny strands for the occasion, the feeling chilled her scalp and a shudder ran down her spine.

She wanted to say something, anything, to the Warrior beside her. but it was llikely a lost cause. As she had lamented earlier, they were from different worlds. Besides, he seemed so soon turned off from her, cold and distant as the wind that swept through them as if someone had doused what little flame they had in a matter of only a few months. Kitani wasn't sure where the change had come from. was he angry with her? Why?

"You seem upset." Bato observed, asking nothing, simply stating a fact he knew to be true.

"Bato..." Kitani trailed off, shaking her head slightly. After another minute or so of pregnant silence, she spoke, "You've been weird."

Bato simply cocked a brow in her direction. _He'd_ been weird? Never mind she was the one who wanted to act like after everything at Coronation, nothing had happened. Kitani didn't want him, she'd made that clear months ago. He was about to defend himself before she held a hand up, interrupting him.

"I wish you'd just tell me what is on your mind." Kitani spoke up. "Because everything was fine at coronation and now, you're doing... whatever it is you're doing. You've made it pretty obvious you're not interested in me but now you're here, looking at me," Kitani's attention turned towards Bato and looked on him fully for the first time, eyes scanning his face. "like that. And I just... can you... make up your damn mind?"

Kitani sighed, shoulders relaxing. Regardless of the expletive she seemed less angry and more just... tired. But Bato was taken aback, brow furrowing. "I had made up my mind about you, at least until you left me without so much as a proper farewell. Admit you were toying with me, and we can start over. I _want_ to start over."

Datk eyes narrowed at him, ignoring most of what he said. "What exactly do you mean by 'proper goodbye'?"

"I... well, um..."

Kitani laughed bitterly, and then groaned. "Thats what all this is about? You thought I was using you like a toy because I took you out and didnt come into your room to stroke your- _ego_?" Bato went to say something else before he was cut off by a hand in the air between them. "Grow up! Did no one ever teach you that I might have reasons for not spreading my legs for you other than I hate you?"

Bato blushed hot, thankful for the darkness and the cool breeze which chilled his reddening cheeks, hiding his light embarrassment from the scrutinizing Islander.

"I'm not your conquest." Kitani bit. "I wanted to be close to you. I like you." The young woman made a move to stand, taking her drink with her, "My mistake."

Bato reached out to her, about to grab her but she shot him a look, jerked her hand away. A tense few moments past with dark eyes staring into his, a blue almost shining in the moonlight, begging her to stay for just one more moment. He could have said something, but he didn't. He didn't dare.

Kitani slowly lowered back to the stone, and took a few breaths. "Start over." she commanded.

And so he did.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **I'M SORRY THAT TOOK SO LONG. This chapter was a BIIIIITCH to write** **and it probably still isnt the best but... moving on...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for coming back!**

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

Bato's bright blue eyes fluttered open at the break of day and he cringed to feel the hard stone beneath his back, he was getting too old to be passing out on beaches like this.

He remembered he and Kitani had talked, over drinks, they'd talked at length and kept drinking. Hostly he almost felt bad for assuming she was some shallow creature meant for his torment. What he found was someone honest, sincere. What he didn't remember, was falling asleep. He also didn't remember falling asleep at the water line.

He moved his legs as they hung off the side of the rock and felt a cold wetness there. As he began to come to, the tide rose and he heard cackling in the short distance. Just about to sit up, his movements threw him off balance jist enough that the next coming wave swept him away, sending him tumbling back first to the water below.

Hardly having time to hold his breath, he shot straight up from the chilly murk, hands flat on the stone before him, gasping for air as he was battered by the high tide. The laughing and chatter grew louder as Bato shook the water from his long hair. Turning around he saw the source of all the commotion. Hakoda stood with Lu'Kaa, the younger, their faces in their hands, turning slightly red and Kitani was on the ground, her hysterics slowly subsiding to giggling.

Bato couldn't help but smirk himself, wringing water from his brown locks. "Yeah, sure, laugh it up, you guys, it could have been you." he taunted.

"But it wasn't!" Kitani yelled back from the ground between chortles. " _I_ actually woke up! Hakoda told me not to wake you. Said it would be funny... It was." she wheezed.

"Bato! Did you have a refreshing wake-up call?" Lu'kaa teased, his smile wide. "Only the best service here, on the Island of Kun'li!"

Lu'kaa picked his little sister up from the ground, and Bato would never say it, but he'd wished Lu'kaa had left her there, on her back, gazing up at him and... _no._ He shooed the thoughts away. They'd spoken about this, the distance. They saw each other far too seldom, it could not work like that and Kitani wasn't keen on trying. She knew herself, she said, and she wouldn't be happy. wouldn't be able to make _him_ happy. He knew it too, but it still hurt.

"Nice swim my friend?" His best friend prodded, punching him lightly in the arm and jarring him from his reverie.

Bato laughed, "Not sure I would call it that."

"Well, whatever it was, it was _hilarious_. Now, go get changed and dried off, I can't have you catching your death on the trip home. You're my best man on that ship!"

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

Blood on the teeth, dirt in the mouth, a girls rubs the ash of the ground from her eyes and stands a woman after each time she's knocked down. Her hands venture up as the post comes hurling toward her face once more.

 _Okay, try this again._ Block, strike, cover, strike, parry...

A babe cries in the distance, loud enough for all in the camp to hear. No heads turn. None but the head of Daranaia Rakia of Kun'li. She turns toward the babe but her vision is blacked momentarily by a thunderous-

 _Thwack!_

 _Shit._

"You'll never make rank like that." The man, tall and dark and thin, stands at the ready for the woman to stand as well. Remaining grounded is not an option for her, not if she wants to make something of herself.

Rakia grunts, "That's my son!" she braces herself on her knees and lifts herself from the earth, swinging at the other man but barely connecting.

As the superior officer dodges her failed shot, the staff comes up once more, stopped by the death grip of the youngest daughter of Lu'kaa. Rakia grits her teeth, straining against Akage's superior strength. Her feet slide on the loosened soil beneath them.

"You know the theory behind this." Akage scolds, a strain of his own apperent in his gravelly voice. "Took you long enough to have the kid but now comes the physical practice."

"He's weeping." Rakia pleads over a desperate wail from the crying infant

"You want to see him?" Akage pushes hard until the 19 year old loosens her grip and stumbles backward in hardly enough time to parry another strike. "You earn it."

Shot after shot, until the Commander grows frustrated, his mouth opening in one final taunt, "You should have let the child die anyway."

Rakia screams a scream that isnt human, vision red and hyperfocused. She wipes blood from her mouth and in the same motion round kicks the ribs of her adversary. It is weak, and lacks practice, but it is enough. The staff is ripped unceremoniously from Akages hands and Rakia quickly strike the temple as hard as she can.

Its a little harder than necessary for a training practice, the woman lacks control. But it is a successful disarm. Akage smiles and there is blood in his teeth.

Spitting, he says, "Very good, once more."

Rakia throws the post back into his waiting hands hisses. "Old man."

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

Fire Lord Zuko bent down and kissed his new wife happily, all gathered nobles raising their voice in hoops and hollers as the young couple turned to face the crowd. All smiles to hide the nagging guilt, the little Fire Nation Lady let her husband lead her down the steps toward friends and family. Zuko looked back at her and felt most of all, happiness, but a small twinge of longing.

Mai had left.

He hadn't seen her in a long time, said she was tired of his lies. He'd admit, it was a dark time for the young Firelord, and perhaps at the time he deserved it. But he loved her, oh, how he loved her, he knew it.

The young woman knew it too. For months she hadn't been keen on marrying the Firelord. Lord of a Nation he might have been, but he was in love with someone else.

Yet, time heals all wounds, duty calls and Zuko came to love her in her own way.

Talya was good. She was kind and warm and rational. She'd make an excellent Firelady and he loved her as just that.

Zuko was hit by the thought that perhaps this is how Ozai felt for his mother once.

He pushed those thoughts away as fast as they came. He didn't want to compare himself to his father _ever_ again. He looked out on the crowd of joyous faces as he led his new wife out of the tempe and towards the cart that would take them to the palace. He saw the Avatar, and the rest of his friends. Chief Hakoda, everthe bachelor, brought his plus one in the form of his taller right hand man. Cheiftainess Kitake and a handful of islanders, some he knew, some he'd never seen, but no senior Lu'kaa. He hoped all was well, and made a mental note to ask.He saw his uncle, a man more a father to him than Ozai ever was. He saw his mother, his beautiful mother and he was _so_ _thankful_ he had found her.

Overall, this was shaping up to be a spectacular reception, with present company assumed to be attending. He looked down at Talya once more, smiled, and helped her into the cart amidst the cheers.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **Thanks a whole heck of a lot for reading pals!**


	14. Chapter 14

Nothing seemed quite as telling of the cultural growth the Fire Nation was capable of than the change in attitude towards foreigners. What once was a reception of disdain and suspicion had morphed quickly into intrigue and hospitality. So quickly, in fact, that the dignitaries of other lands were bound to get whiplash from it.

Fire Lord Zuko had done a lot of work on the country, and very quickly. It showed on his young face.The man who was 19 now looked at least 25, and it was sure to get worse before it got better. For the time, though, this was a joyous occasion, something worth celebrating. Decorated in the usual bold crimsons and bright golds, the reception hall stretched for what seemed like a league before Bato, once more left to his own devices at a Fire Nation gathering, and much to his chagrin. The Chief had taken leave with his son to meet Gods-knew-who. His eyes scanned the crowd for a familiar face.

Kitani stood on the edge, leaning against a marble pillar and entertaining her brother and gazing out on the assembled guests, mostly Fire Nation, a few Earth Nation delegates, and... ah, that blue always stuck out like a beacon. It was a beacon she, no matter how she'd tried this past year, couldn't refuse.

"Well, Lu'kaa, look who's come to the Royal Wedding!" Kitani tilted her head, smile wide, in Chief Hakoda's direction.

The young man cocked his head up from the wine in his goblet, much more intrigued by the Watertribesman and his unexpected attendance.

"And here I thought I'd go an _entire_ year without seeing your best friend." Lu'kaa taunted.

Kitani scoffed, "Hakoda's not my best friend." She took a too-large sip from her whiskey.

"Oh no... you're right." Lu'kaa agreed, draining what was left of his drink and making his way over to the Chief to irk his little sister. "Bato is."

Kitani shot down the rest of her drink and cringed. "Hey, now, I don't-" her sentence, which was meant to explain that she _does not_ have feelings for Bato was interrupted by a skeptical facial expression and a cocked eyebrow from the young Lu'kaa.

Kitani tilted her head away, eyes averted, swallowed the surfacing regret from ending whatever it was she and Bato once had. Still, part of her wished the Warrior was here with the Chief, and Lu'kaa could tell.

As the two siblings approached, the Chief looked up and focused his attention on the approaching islanders. Sokka had since left him to run off with the Gaang to, "bother Zuko".

"Ah! Daranaia, Daianaro, it's great to see you!" Hakoda smiled warmly and extended a hand to the two. Lu'kaa, being the senior of the two, took it firmly first, and Kitani came second.

"Likewise, what has it been, a year?" Lu'kaa pressed, settling his hands on his hips and looking down to the Chief.

"At least. It's good to see you both on such a joyous occasion. You never know what's going to bring people together." Chief Hakoda's cerulean eyes scanned the crowd, glad to see the unity, even if only temporary, that was forming among the guests.

"Well, you look good for your age." Lu'kaa teased, and Hakoda shot him a look before undrstanding what he had said and shook his head with a smile.

"So, if I may ask, where is Chieftainess Kitake?"

"You may!" Kitani exclaimed. "She's... around. I know its been a year but there's still a lot of face to save, you know."

Hakoda nodded, "I know, I know. These things take time."

Bato, on the end of the room finally caught glimpse of his best friend, chatting up two dark, black-and-silver clad individuals, and he realized that the Islanders _must_ be here. He felt his stomach flutter, and pushed down the anticipation hard. He swollowed and told himself, _stay_ _calm._

"Speaking of which," Hakoda said as he saw Bato begin to make his way over. "I can think of some other things that take time as well." He winked at Kitani, and, ushering Lu'kaa away, he muttered, "Bye."

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

The Royal Couple made their rounds to the reception tables, making small talk, though sometimes uncomfortable small talk, and introducing the new Fire Lady to the nobles of the world. As a coversation about the newly introduced academic program to the children of the outer city was wrapping up with a lesser noble from that area, Zuko's ears caught the sound of his uncle's laughter. He turned to find the older man seated, and Chieftainess Kitake, tall and lithe as ever, pouring him a fresh cup of tea. She hadn't laughed back, but an amused smirk rested on her face.

Kitake could come off as quite intense at times, just like her mother, and her tall stature aided in that intimidation factor. Zuko smiled slightly, if not a bit nervously, and urged Talya to follow. The Fire Lord should fear no one.

As Kitake finished pouring, she set the teapot down and her eyes flitted up to catch the young man approaching. She bowed low to Zuko first, then Talya, hands clasped behind her back.

"Ah! Your Majesties, it is an honour you have come to me, and a pleasure to see you again, Firelord Zuko. And to see you for the first time, Lady Talya."

"Talya, I'd like to introduce you to Chieftainess Kitake of Kun'li" Zuko gestured to the tall woman, who dipped her head once more.

Talya paid very little attention to it. It had been the same script all night. Meet, chat, move one. Luckily for Fire Lord Zuko, Talya didn't tire of people easily but by the Gods this was extensive. She nodded slightly, and pretended to listen as her husband struck up a conversation with the older woman.

"How are reparations fees faring in Kun'li? Can you still support your people?"

"Things are going quite well, thank you for asking." Kitake smoothed. "We have our hang ups, these things, they take time. But the townspeople have all but forgotten what is in the past. We are ready to move forward." The Chieftainess smiled a small smile at the young lord, and moved to grab her teacup up from the table beside her.

"And how fares Daranaia Rakia?" Zuko inquired, interested to hear what became of his young stepmother. It had been easily a year, a year and a half perhaps, and asking would extend toward Kitake that Zuko cared about the welfare of her family. It was an excellent face-saving tactic if nothing else.

"Well!" Kitake responded, eyebrows lifting. "Well enough, I suppose. "We write, but havent seen her in a while. She's been training to take over our armed forces one day. We couldn't be prouder."

"I'm sure she is just as proud of you, Chieftainess." The young Fire Lord responded.

"Oh, I know she is." The older woman replied, her face near expressionless if not for the faintest glimmer of confidence. "She told me."

Zuko nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond to that.

"So," Talya lay a hand on Zuko's arm, an appendage he wasn't aware he was tensing, sqeezing the life out of the poor girl's hand. "How came you to be Chieftainess, Kitake?"

Kitake's eyes flitted to the girl, brow cocked. "My Father retired from his position. It was for his own good..."

Kitake trailed off and looked away for a moment, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than anyone else, and continued, "After Rikki, the people wouldn't have him."

Her brown eyes stared down the Young Fire Lord expectantly, as if she was waiting for him to comment .

"And what of your father?" Talya pressed. changing the subject in hopes of easing the tension. "Is he enjoying his retirement?"

Her attempts to ease the discomfort, by no fault of her own, were wildly unsuccessful. Chieftainess Kitake's expression darkened.

"He went to the wilderness. No one has heard from him. He lives, but won't write. He won't even see our mother." Kitake announced, looking at the Fire Lord, almost ignoring that it was Talya who asked the question.

"Chieftainess Kitake, I am right here." Talya straightened, a bit offended at the disregard she was experiencing. " _I_ asked the question." Internally, Talya took a deep breathe. If she was going to go through all that boring confidence training, she might as well use it.

The elder woman took a good, long, cool look at the new, not yet crowned Fire Lady. After the pregnant pause, Kitake spoke, "My apologies, Lady Talya."

This time, the Islander spoke to both of them, "I just worry about him. I wonder what he's planning."

"I'm sure he's not _planning_ anything." Talya laughed nervously.

"He's angry." Kitake replied. "My father is smart, it's why my mother chose him. He's a plotter." She looked off into the amassing crowd of the reception hall. "And he's planning something. I can feel it."

Kitake's face soured before shaking her head and the thoughts away. She shot a well-veiled smile that did not reach her eyes to the young couple. After a moment, the Fire Lord saw it fit to dismiss the woman and went on, the panic of whatever she suspected her father of planning pushed to the back of his mind.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

"Bato!" Kitani subconciously reached up to run her hand through her hair. "Hey!"

"Kitani." He addressed, Lu'kaa and Hakoda's strategic exit. "Its been a while."

"A year, yeah... uh." The younger woman shifted slightly. "You look good." She offered up awkwardly, but it was the truth.

"Oh, you too." Bato smiled crookedly.

A moment of silence hung between the two, as they refused to make eye contact. Kitani shot a glance Bato's way while he gazed out to the crowd. The year had been good to him, as far as she could see.

"So!" Bato threw his arms out to his side. "How's your family?"

It was a lame question, and both knew it, but Kitani rolled with it anyway.

"Well, Kitake is in charge now, she's doing a great job! Lu'kaa is incharge of the education... he loves those kids and Rikki... she's taking over the military so... we're moving on up in the world." Kitani chuckled.

Another pause came up, and was unceremoniously squashed by Kitani's soft laugh. "Bato, this is awkward."

Bato released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. _Finally_ , one of them had addressed the Artic Hippo in the room. He smiled, and if he could have sighed in relief more than once, he would have.

"Isn't it? I don't understand why!" He dared a hand on the young woman's shoulder and, when he meant to pull away it was held there by her hand on top of his. Kitani blushed, looking up at him, because they both knew why the encounter was so awkward. Neither quite knew how to treat the other after the definitive decision of "just friends".

Even as "just friends", Kitani sank into the feeling of Bato's hand on her, she wanted him to keep it there for as long as he wanted to. He would have kept it there forever, if she asked. Kitani drew in a ragged breath and drained whatever was in her glass.

"Let's get a drink, hm? Before they force us to sit for dinner." The woman winked at him and took her leave, and Bato followed.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!**


	15. Chapter 15

"Chief Hakoda!" A woman's voice called from the crowd. Lu'kaa had accompanied him to find Sokka, who was easily found as arguanly the _loudest_ person in the party, showing off inappropriate boomerang tricks and generally disturbing the peace. As Hakoda caught up with his son, who'd recently been chipping in on rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe to its former glory, and _kindly reminded_ him he was now an official ambassador to other nations. One of the "faces" of the Southern Water Tribe and that although yes, it's fun to show cute girls cool tricks, it is not very professional. Lu'kaa had since snuck way to steal wine from someone else's table.

The voice belonged to none other than Cheiftainess Kitake, who strode towards him with purpose as he looked towards her. She bowed to the men, and they returned the favor. They exchanged a few quick greetings

"Ah! Sister dear!" Lu'kaa chirped as he approached, liquor in hand. "The Chief was just asking about you before we had to... vacate the premises." the younger man flashed his sister a knowing grin.

Kitake dipped her head and gazed over to the bar. "Yes, I'd noticed."

Her eyes caught their target. The man they called Bato, tall, broad, and clad in blue, and her middle sister, turned around at the bar, facing the crowd assembled. Kitake had her own problems to deal with, but she wasn't obtuse and she most certainly wasn't _blind_. She could see her sister's eyes light up and the couple steal not-so-sneaky glances at each other even from across the room.

"Chief Hakoda, if it wouldn't bother you too much, I'd like to speak with you for a moment. There's something I'd like to discuss with you." She chanced another glance at Kitani, unaware of her eldest sister. "There's... something I'd like to propose."

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

"Well, it hasn't been easy, it won't ever be, but I'm glad attitudes are starting to change about the Fire Nation." Kitani passed another glass to Bato, something weaker than whiskey this time. He'd complained, but Kitani reminded him the reception hadn't even really _started_ yet. They needed to pace themselves.

"No. You're right, it will never be easy. It's going to take a long time to undo what the Fire Nation has done." Bato sipped thoughtfully, relishing the numbness of feeling that spread to his extremities. He promised himself this would be his last for the night, or else he'd end up a stumbling fool before the night was through.

He didn't like the way things had ended last they saw each other, and seeing Kitani now, he liked it even less. She hadn't changed much in a year, but something about her was more alluring than the past, not that she wasn't intriguing beforehand. It was outstanding what a year could do to a person and the 29 year old did seem a bit different. She seemed... more mature. Still very outgoing and lively, but the new responsibilities that had undoubtedly been placed on her with the appointment of Kitake and the abscence of their father.

"Yeah... Sorry about that." Kitani rubbed the back of her neck, eyes at her feet.

"What for?" Bato shot her a confused look, turning his body to face her.

"Well," Kitani shrugged. "I'm Fire Nation, too." she stated softly, refusing to make eye contact.

"One of the good ones." He remarked. Bato reached out, he thought better of it but the liquor had slowed his body. The command of _STOP_ did not reach the end of his arm and his hand moved as if it had a mind of it's own in order to tuck a peice of stray hair behind the woman's ear.

Kitani must have shot him an incomparably shocked look, because she turned just in time to watch the man recoil in horror.

"Spirits, I'm so sorry-" He stuttered, and Kitani's shock melted into amusement, watching his faces turn ten shades darker, and not because of the alcohol.

"No, it's-" Kitani patted his hand, which seemed all but paralyzed. "It's okay."

"It's the booze." He dismissed, withdrawing his hand and made a show of pushing his glass away. "I think I've had enough."

"No, Bato, honestly, it's fine." kitani placated, smiling up at him.

"I uh, I should... probably go find my seat." He stuttered and moved away.

Kitani watched him go, figuring it was best to let the embarrassment wear off naturally rather than try to soothe him. Bato had rushed away, but spared one last look back at where the woman sat still, at the bar. Her hand reached up to touch her ear, where his fingers had brished her skin, and she smiled softly. She drained the rest of her drink, tipped the bartender, and went off to find her seat as well.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

The Fire Lord didn't throw parties often but by Agni, when he did, he certainly knew how. As much as Zuko hated to admit it, he'd inherited that trait from his father's side of the family. If there was ever something Ozai and Azulon spared no expense on, it would be festivities in their honor. The new Fire Lord, however, had spent a little energy ensuring he and is new wife wouldn't be the only ones to enjoy this wedding reception.

That being said, he had to say, he was enjoying this immensley. He'd never known how interesting it would be to see so many different types of people all together. It was also good fun to see what other cultures seemed to deem an appropriate wedding present.

From the Watertribes, mostly artifacts of religious or magical signifigance. Imagine his discomfort when the bride was gifted a fertility vase! Luckily Katara was in charge of the gifts from the Southern Tribe and were slightly more appropriate for Zuko, things to bless him with good fortune and strength instead of... ahem... fertility.

Most of the Earth Kindom's ambassadors brought exotic fruits and vegetables, preserved as pickles or dried, but some fresh. They even brought a few creatures. The Islanders brought him a bat-condor, and he reminded himself to set Liu on the task of writing Thank Yous the very next day. Best to be prompt with these things.

That being said, very little that was given to him this day made him quite as happy as seeing the event that was unfolding before him. Everyone was actually... _getting along_.

There was still a long way to go. _A long way_. The Fire Nation had really fucked things up. But, seeing the Nations mingle in his hall, it was truly a spectacle to behold.

Aang and Katara happily twirled about on the dance floor. Sokka had found Suki again; flirtatious as he was, everyone knew where his heart lay. Hakoda stopped to chat with the other Kyoshi Warriors; and Bato- well, Bato had holed himself up on the side of the room, but he was staring at the Daranaia of Kun'li as he often did when she was about.

Kitani had already moved through several songs with her brother, before he found someone "better-looking and not his sister" to romance, and for a while she danced alone. But, the crowd had lost it's charm and she had since moved to the edge of the room. Her eyes scanned the crowd and fell upon the blue spectre that had given her little rest every time he'd appeared. His eyes met hers, and she tutled her head to beckon him. Bato wasn't a man that was easily swayed, but it took very little to convince him to come over.

Kitani smiled at the taller man. "Enjoying yourself?"

Bato cracked a half-smile and his head twitched up. "Immensely. It's been fun watching Lu'kaa get way too drunk."

Kitani didn't look at him, but said towards the crowd, "You and I both know you weren't watching Lu'kaa."

Bato made to retort, but came up with nothing. He shifted, sighed, and responded, "No, you're right, I wasn't watching Lu'kaa."

"If you want to get out of here, meet me in the West Wing in a few minutes." Kitani shot a devilish look at Bato, and slipped out a nearby door, unnoticed.

Unnoticed by all except Kitake.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~** **Thanks for reading friends! And for putting up with** **this slow... slow burn.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Welcome back friends and GUESS WHO BROUGHT LEMONS...**

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

Kitani waited for what seemed like forever before Bato's heavy footfalls filled the otherwise quiet corridor. Kitani peered around the corner to see exactly who she'd expected.

"Took you long enough." She teased.

Bato rolled his eyes, pushing his nerves down to keep them from surfacing, and watch Kitani lead him down the hall until she came to one of those wide, wooden doors the Fire Nation was so known for. She opened it with a flourish, beckoning the older man inside. He dipped his head with in and took a quick look about.

"This room? Mine is actually bigger." He remarked, leaving the innuendo hanging.

"Ah! But, mine comes with a complimentary sake bottle. A big one." Kitani remarked, leaving Bato at the door and making her way to the dresser. "When was the last time you had a drink?"

"A few hours ago." Bato followed Kitani in. She knew what he meant by a few hours ago, that was when he'd reached out to her. She blushed again thinking about it, thankful she was facing away from him.

"Far too long for a wedding. Come." the woman commanded and gathered up two cups and the bottle, pushing the wooden accordion patio shutter open and exiting the suite into the cooling night. She set the earthenware on the ledge of the balcony, pouring out two equal amounts into the little glasses and sliding one to her side.

The sake had gone cold, but it didn't matter.

Kitani gazed out at the city, expanding before the palace, crowded full of life. She was succeeded shortly by Bato, who'd finally loosened up enough to follow the islander out to the balcony and take possesion of his little cup.

"I'm glad you came." Kitani admitted, still not looking at the Watertribesman. "I didn't think you would."

Bato grimaced as the sake went down. "And why is that?"

Kitani shrugged. "Wasn't sure where exactly we stand now."

Bato topped her off and poured another glass for himself, resting his elbows on the ledge and leaning heavily on it, their shoulders barely touching. "Well, where _do_ we stand?"

"Fuck! Bato! I don't know..." Kitani lay her head in her palm, rubbing at the skin of her forehead. "It's a struggle, that's for sure. I like you, Bato, I do. But the distance..."

Bato nodded. "I like you, too, Kitani. But I wouldn't ask you to leave your family just for me." he took another large swig, noticing how the sake was making the words come easier.

Kitani's jaw clenched. "I guess that's it then."

"Guess so."

"I just... I just don't like how we left things last year." She admitted, downing what was left of her cup and pouring one final glass.

"Yeah, me either..." Bato trailed off, looking down at the ground below the balcony thoughtfully. "But I'm afraid it might be a bit too late for regrets."

As Bato looked up to the sky, lost in his woeful thoughts, Kitani observed him. His bright blue eyes almost shone in the soft glow of the full moon overhead. His tanned skin was bathed in the blue light of the evening, and the contrast between that and the orange light behind him from the suite framed his face in a rainbow of color.

Kitani was left to wonder, who said it was too late? Who had any say in whether it was too late for them other than... them? She wondered if perhaps she'd regret making a move, but this could very well be the last time they saw each other. Perhaps she would regret doing nothing more than anything she was currently thinking about doing. Against her best judgement she managed to call to him-

"Bato?" her cheeks flushed hot as he turned to her and hummed inquisitively, eye brow cocked in her direction.

Time seemed to freeze in this moment, and it seemed like an eternity before she took the opportunity to lean in as fast as she could to catch his lips in a kiss that didn't last long, but was more than enough for her. When she pulled away she leaned back to see his face filled with shock. "I-I'm sorry I... just wanted you to know..."

She was robbed of the opportunity to say any more as Bato's arm snaked its way around her waist, pulling her closer and this time, he kissed her. She let her hands creep up his chest and kissed back. His lips were soft but the kiss was not. His arms tightened around her body and he ran his tongue along her lower lip, grunting, begging for permission. She granted his probing tongue access and let out a soft moan as he dominated her mouth, keeping her trapped in the shelter of his vice grip on her. Finally, the exchange broke, now, instead of shock, something darker had crossed Bato's face. She put her hands on his shoulders, breath heavy, and observed, "We should go inside."

Bato nodded aggreement and helped her off the porch and into the suite, closing the shutter behind them. Kitani had grabbed the sake bottle and their cups, and was putting them away while a tall Water Tribe Warrior observed her curvaceous frame.

She turned to face him and the two shared a good, long look at each other, like two animals sizing each other up. She walked towards him, hooded lids hid coffee colored eyes that looked straight up at him. He reached out to ensnare her once more, planting more kisses on her mouth and with each kiss, he got hungrier, and more aggressive. Quickly, Kitani untied her belt and undid her top, letting her clothing fall to the ground as Bato did the same, their lips only separating long enough to pull off coats, shirts, undertunics.

Once rid of their clothes, Bato's large hands found their way around her waist and hoisted her up without warning. She gasped in suprise, head tilting back, as Bato saw this as an invitation to ravish the hollow of her neck, devouring her whole. She ran her hands across his bare skin, her soft touch driving him on, when finally a palm ran over the sensitive burn scar, and his breath hitched. Kitani noticed the pause in his ministrations, and his tensing body and looked back at him, withdrawing her hand, she muttered, "I'm sorry,"

"Don't be." was all he could breath out.

She placed a kiss on his scarred collarbone, leaving a trail from there to his shoulder as he began to walk backwards, lowering himself slowly onto the bed, so Kitani now lay on top of him. He captured her mouth again and Kitani continued to run her hands across his chest, his hips, his abdomen, teasing him.

One of Batos hands crept up to undo her hairdo grab a handful of it firmly but not painfully. Kitani cooed with approval as his other hand ran down her back and over her pert rear. He earned a gasp of suprise when his middle finger found the wetness between her legs and began rubbing at her entrance. Her kisses became more desperate than before. Bato pulled her hair over to the side and began to lick and suck the senstive skin on her neck. All at once, his grip on her hair tightened, keeping her in place, as he bit down hard on her neck and slipped his middle and ring finger inside of her. She went almost completely limp in Bato's arms, and he thanked the Gods he'd thought of that trick as he continued to slip his fingers in and out of her, letting his index finger graze her swollen bud every other stroke.

It didn't take Kitani long to come undone at Bato's hands. Not long after her orgasm she swatted the man's hand away, sitting up with her legs straddled across his hips to get a good look at the gargatuan that had been pressing hot against her abdomen for the last several minutes. Taking hold of his member she felt him instantly grow even harder. Bato began to sit up, but she pushed him back down as hard as she could, forcing him to lay flat. He smirked at her, amused, and watched her bat her eyelids at him innocently.

"Let me show you how we make love here, Bato of the Southern Water Tribe." she drawled as she ran one hand up and down his length.

Trying desperately to keep his composure, Bato motioned to her, his hands coming to rest behind his head. "By all means, the floor is yours."

Kitani smiled coyly as she lifted her body and lowered herself agonizingly slowly onto his cock. Bato arched his back up towards her at the feeling, pushing in deeper than she had intended him to go, illicitng a gasp from her as well. She placed her hands firmly on the Warrior's chiceled abdomen and began to move up and down, gasping at every inch of him that slid in and out her. One of his hands came up to knead her breast, fingers moving to twist and roll her sensitive nipple, earning him a faster pace.

He groaned at the way she felt, hot and tight and wet.

"You like that, don't you, Bato?" Kitani breathed, rocking back and forth on his cock, each stroke becoming more aggressive than the last. Bato knew he wouldn't last much longer like this.

Bato grunted. "You're teasing me, woman." his voice vibrated deep in his chest, as he thrusted up against her to get back at her. Kitani gasped out loud as Bato went as deep as he could, then giggled as straying hands traced little patterns on his lower abdomen. Bato grinned wickedly and continued to thrust into her, one rough hand travelling up her leg to hold her hips down while he continued to fuck her.

Tired of the position, Bato grabbed the woman on top of him and flipped her over with relative ease. Kitani gasped with suprise at the sudden change. Bato began showering her neck and collarbone with little kisses and nipping at her every so often. Kitani was almost limp in his arms, out of breath, and Bato chuckled at her, "Look alive, I'm not done with you yet."

Kitani moaned and feigned exasperation. "You're too old to be this good, Bato." she teased, knowing he wasn't quite six years her elder, and that it would ruffle him for her to acknowledge it.

Bato bit down lightly on her shoulder, rolling his hips forward, teasing, "I can stop if you want to complain."

Kitani's hands shot up to Batos long, undone hair, holding him in place, keeping him from withdrawing as he thrusted into her torturously slow. "You'll find no complaints here."

Bato smirked, and picked up his pace, placing his mouth over hers to keep her shameless moans from alerting the whole palace as to what they were doing. Gods, the woman could make noise.

Their lips parted for a moment, and the woman beneath him moaned as he sucked at her neck. "Oh, gods..."

"Who?" Bato grunted, biting down on her soft flesh.

"Bato!" Kitani exclaimed, her nails digging into his back.

This earned a wicked laugh from the Water tribe man. "That's more like it."

His arms wrapped around her, holding her closer, their chests together, he could feel her heartbeat quicken and her body was getting tighter around him. He kept pace in hopes she'd get there in time, knowing he wouldn't last much longer with her writhing frame beneath and her scent lighting every sense on fire.

"Bato, I'm gonna-"

"Go ahead," He interrupted, stooping down to murmur in her ear, "Come for me, Kitani."

His breath on her ear was all she needed, and she obeyed his command, her walls tightening around his member and taking him with her. He groaned as her womanhood milked him for every drop of his cum. Her arms draped around his neck and held him close, keeping him from even thinking about getting up.

Breathlessly, he rolled to her side, her head settling into the hollow of his shoulder. They lie like that for a while, in utter silence, neither daring to disturb the peace.

After several minutes, Bato piped up,

"We're probably going to regret that later."

Kitani rolled so she could fold her arms atop his broad chest, and looked up at his face. "I would have felt worse if we hadn't..." she reiterated her feelings from earlier.

Bato laid a hand on her back, noticing for the first time the raised skin of a tattoo there, and he traced whatever shapes in was making with the pads of his fingers. "Yeah, you're probably right."

He had to be honest, he _was_ glad they'd gotten to know each other intimately at least once. He knew it may be the last time he saw Kitani and now that the dam had broken, he didn't want to let go.

He realized with a sinking feeling he may have to soon.

"What was that you said?" Kitani's voice snapped him back into reality, and she placed her forearms on either side of his head, pulling her body up further. "That I'm right?"

Bato shook the negative feelings and pushed the younger woman to her back. Looming over her, he chuckled, "Shut up.", and locked his mouth over hers once more.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~** **Thanks for reading pals and stay tuned for more 3**


	17. Chapter 17

**Quick S/O to the Guest thats leaving a review every time I update. It's really giving me the push I need to finish the work. Thanks everyone for sticking with me :)**

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

Here they were again, saying good-bye... again.

Bato had snuck out late last night, after a few more romps between the sheets, reasoning that Kitani's family might have his head if they found out he'd ruined her virtue. Even after Kitani laughed and assured him she'd had no virtue, still he left. She understood why he had to leave, but it would have been nice to be able to wake with him, at least once.

Now the Kun'li Islanders had lined up opposite the Southern Water Tribe, the ships happened to be docked near each other. Hakoda smiled up at Kitake, who moved in to shake his hand. They muttered a few things to each other, out of earshot, and Hakoda caught a glance of Kitani.

Kitani, unsure what was said, bowed by instinct. As she came up, her eyes caught Bato, loading the ship and his eyes caught hers. The young woman offered up a feeble smile, and he returned the gesture. They hadn't had the foresight to say proper goodbyes in private, and now she wished they had.

Kitani was too busy staring at the man to notice, when Kitake placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Kitani." Kitake smoothed as her little sister stood. "I have a new role for you."

Kitani tilted her head slightly, and looked up at the taller woman, giving a confused, "What?"

"I have a new job I want you to take the reigns on. You may not like politics, but you _do_ like people." I'm appointing you as an ambassador."

Kitani smiled and bowed her head at her Chieftainess as was expected of her in this moment. "This is a great honor, sister."

"Hm. Yes." Kitake agreed. "I've spoken with Chief Hakoda. His people are curious about what the rest of the world has to offer. I think you are a good example of what the islanders are like, and we aggree this will help make them more receptive to peacemaking efforts by the Fire Nation. The first place I'm sending you is the Southern Water Tribe."

Kitani swore she heard Lu'kaa laugh, but she wasnt sure for all the blood that was draining from her face. All eyes were on her now, a situation that didn't _normally_ bother her, but what if everyone knew about Bato? Kitani's heart jumped a bit at the idea, and not in a good way.

"I want you to go there, learn their culture, how they do things. I expect a full report in two years." Kitake foldeed her arms behind her back.

Kitani laughed out loud, narrowing her eyes at her older sister in an unsuccessful attempt to alleviate her tension. "Really? Two years? Since when do _you_ take such an interest in Anthropology?"

Kitake's eyes not-so-subtly flitted to Bato, then back at Kitani. "About the same time you did."

Lu'kaa sputtered, struggling to maintain his composure as his little sister was called out. Kitani grimaced at the Chieftainess and looked away.

"How crass of you, Madame Chieftainess..." she jeered bitterly.

"Regardless of your... _fraternizations,_ " Kitake continued, obviously talking about Bato but having the grace and poise to lower her voice this time. "This is important to me."

Kitani dipped her head. "I understand. I'll do my best, sister."

Kitake smiled softly. "Good, I know you will. Now, your things are already on that ship, and Chief Hakoda can't be waiting around for you forever."

Kitani gave Lu'kaa a tight hug, and turned to do the same to her eldest sister. "And Kitake?"

Kitake hummed, looking down at the younger woman, still in her arms.

"Thank you." Kitani said. She was joyed beyond words that Kitake had been so devious, albeit it was a bit embarrassingto be put on the spot. Her heart fluttered with anticipation.

Smiling widely, Kitani, ran off toward the ship and, more importantly, Bato. The taller man, busy loading supplies for the journey, turned as he felt a furious tapping on his shoulder.

So, did you hear the good news?" She chirped happily.

"Oh," Bato scoffed. "I've known since this morning. Hakoda told me."

Kitani feigned offense. "Im going to pretend you didn't keep it from me on _purpose_."

Bato looked down at her and winked, "Why would I want to ruin the suprise?"

 ** _One year..._**

It was a quiet evening in the village, a few fires crackled here and there, and Bato sat alpne, sheltering himself from the watchful eyes that moved about the encampment. He was hyper-focused on the stone in his hands, chipping away at it lightly. It had taken form quite well, if he did say so himself; it was a near-perfect circle, embossed on the front was a Sycamore Tree.

It wasn't traditional, but it matched the insignia of her family, and the tattoo that spanned her back, a tattoo he'd gotten _quite_ familiar with from their... excursions.

The soft crunch of footsteps in the snow approached and Bato swiftly hid hos project in his pocket, turning to see who was there. Katara drew closer, rubbing her eyes slightly, still obviously in her night clothes.

"Bato?" she called, "It's lte, what are you doing?"

He smiled, always the motherly figure, that girl, even to those who were her senior. He patted the empty space next to him.

"Couldn't sleep, I guess." he excused lamely, changing the subject. "How late is it?"

"Well past midnight." Katara replied, eyes narrowing slightly. "But, seriously, what are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Bato dodged.

"Bato." Katara's vpice hardened, she was not going to gove it up. Bato smiled, amused, and slightly irritated.

"You're too smart, you know that, girl?" He wrapped an arm around her small shoulders and leaned in close to her ear. "You can't tell _anyone_ , okay?"

She smiled wode, happy tobe in on the secret. "I promise."

Bato reached back into his pocket and pulled out the little stone necklace, presenting it for Katara's scrutiny. "It's for Kitani. Tomorrow."

The girls hand came up to her wode open mouth, a few little tears bubbling in the corners of her eyes. "Oh, Bato!"

She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "It's lovely! And I'm so happy for you!"

Bato chuckled and patted her on the back. "Slow your roll there, sweetheart. She hasn't said yes yet."

Katara drew back and cocked an eyebrow. "Bato," she laughed, "She's _going_ to say yes."

The older man smiled at the girl, his best friends daughter, practically his niece, he kissed her lightly on the top of her head. "Thank you for your vote of confidence. Now, you should get back to bed."

Katara kept her hold on him and lay her head against his chest. "What about you?"

Bato shook his head, amused. "No, young lady, I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

 **Thanks for reading! One more chapter yet!**


End file.
